Quicksilver eyes
by blackthistle
Summary: What would happen if Riddick met someone with eyes like his? First fan-fic please R
1. Wylie

Disclaimer: The characters and worlds of Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick do not belong to me...And that makes me a very unhappy puppy…Riddick, Caroline, and Jack are not mine. Everyone else is.

Its rated R and NC-17 for Language, Sexual scenes and violence.

This fan-fic is set between the ending of Pitch Black and the start of tCoR...With a little creative license thrown in for good measure. This is my first one ever so, please be kind.

Chapter1

Rain.

It seemed on the more popular planets rain was a constant companion. Riddick glanced into a storefront window noting the curls of steam rising up off his head, arms and shoulders. He squinted into the overhead light flickering feebly, wiping a stray speck of rain off the lenses temporarily turning the world into an off kilter kaleidoscope. Turning, he started back down the alley. Hellion Prime wouldn't have been his first choice of planets that he would have visited on a vacation but finding the source of a substantial bounty on your head would hardly be a vacation. Riddick grinned in the darkness to himself, he was glad to see that out of the survivors at least Imam had put down roots and gotten into a convient little mess everyone else called matrimonial bliss. Riddick tugged off his goggles and scanned the surrounding area. He tilted his head slightly pitching his hearing to give him a better idea of what happening in the streets of this over- lit rock. A crackle like the crushing of a paper sack resounded through out the alleyway that Riddick happened to be standing in. Sounded a lot like plasma fire, and plasma fire meant violence. Riddick chuckled quietly to himself, no matter the world, no matter how polished the exterior, how clean the streets or its citizens, you could always count on the true nature of humankind to rear its ugly head. It sounded like someone was having a very good time, Riddick never missed the opportunity to join in the festivities

Riddick rounded the corner of the metal and brick building silently placing one heavy boot after the other and pulling out one of his Shiv's from behind his back. As leaned quietly against the wall,

Riddick lifted his head and sniffed the air.

Wet, sweat, adrenaline, vinyl, some sort of exotic cigarette and woman... It's funny how a woman smells when she's in danger. Well, at least a woman who knows what she's doing and isn't fucked by what's going on around her. Riddick looked down the alleyway at the scene. Another plasma burst took a chunk out of the mortar wall right above the woman's head and spraying fragments of broken brick and concrete on to the street where they darkened in the rain. She quickly reached up, ran her hand over her face, and returned a volley of fire down the alley ducking back around the corner looking over her shoulder and breathing heavily.

"So you gonna stand there in the shadows pretty boy or are you just someone who enjoys a good show?" She asked looking down to her lap as she loaded her gun.

" You know," she said as she stood again her vinyl pants squeaking as she did." I prefer the up close and personal to this duck and cover bulllshit but, with Merks you can never be too careful"

Riddick let out a deep grumbling laugh." Run into a couple myself… always did the up close and personal"

She looked around the corner shooting the gun twice "Yup. That's what I hear about you. It's an honor to finally meet the infamous Richard B. Riddick by the way, what brings you to the vacationing paradise of Hellion Prime?

Riddick face remained impassive. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Oh, the goggles. Figured it was you from the shadows when I saw you but had to see the goggles to be sure.

Riddick moved closer almost touching the woman leaning against the wall.

"How'd you see the goggles? He leaned over and took in a deep draft of air into his nose. "You smell human, no human could see me in the shadows couldn't see the goggles either"

She chuckled quietly to herself" you never miss a trick do you Riddick?"

She turned to face him. "Right on one account but, not on both. Human yes, but see the goggles and know it was you...normal human couldn't. She stepped out of Riddics shadow and into the dim illumination of the overhead light tugging a pair of sunglasses off her eyes squinting.

"Throw in a shine job and well, you're dealing with a whole different caliber of person now aren't you?"

Riddick stepped quietly back into the shadows as she slid the glasses up the bridge of her nose with her finger, looked back down the alleyway, and laughed giving Riddick a sidelong glance.

"Not that I've forgotten my back alley, really bad situation, probably going to be strung up by Merck's and sent back to Slam etiquette but what brings you down into my little slice of hell?"

Another blast of plasma struck the side of the building sending chunks of brick and twisted metal skittering into the street

"Goddamnit" she rocked back on her heels placing the gun at her feet.

Riddick pointed at her scalp where a thin crimson line was seeping underneath the rim of her glasses she quickly wiped at it her fingers coming away wet and sticky

She glared at the blood and quickly wiped her hand on her vinyl pants picking back up the gun.

"Business" Riddick grumbled "you?" he asked quietly

"Oh, you know I was really looking for a place to raise a little family, a house, some flowers you know, ""do the good girl thing for a while." she said grinning as she put her hand to her scalp and winced.

" It just seems there is always someone who has different plans for you. However, as much fun as it is to have an all out show down with a crew of merks well, "she said placing her hands on her knees breathing deeply.

"It just seems that today is just not one of my days". She looked over at Riddick, blood trickling down the bridge of her nose "So now that we have established that today is really not my day. It might not be the best thing for you to be in my company"

Riddick cocked his head to the side listening to the footsteps gaining momentum as they came up the alleyway.

"Yeah, I know" she said pulling her dripping hair out of her face.

"There coming, and by the sound fast." She reached down to her boot and pulled out a lethal looking Shiv.

" I guess the up close and personal choice has been made for me." She had the blade in her hand slowly turning it over and testing the balance.

"One more chance Riddick". She whispered blowing a breath out slowly and rising from a crouching position.

"Their coming around the corner and if you're here you're a good a target as any" she looked over her shoulder again to an empty black alley.

"Damn" she shook her head grinning "for a big guy he sure does move silently" she leaned against the wall lit a cigarette and waited for the Merks

………………………………...................................................................................................

Riddick stood on the rooftop, his heavy boots soaking in the puddle of rain. The rain wasn't what his attention was focused on; it was the fight going on it the alleyway below. He had to give it to her, she fought like a cornered rat, all flashing teeth, kicks and whickering blade but at the current odds he calculated quietly to himself, she wouldn't last long. Riddick shrugged and squatted down big hands resting easily between his muscular legs. Just another slam chickie who didn't have what it took to keep herself free. Still it would be interesting to see how she went out and just how many Merks she could take down with her.

She knew she was in it and deep. Three well armed Merks and her cornered with a Shiv and a plasma gun with a dead cell. Well, things could get worse she thought to herself. At least she knew that going back into that triple max shithole of a slam was not going to be one of the options left open to her. She looked up again panting from the force of her first attack and struck out at the nearest merk with her blade, going for his stomach right beneath the loops of his belt. The merk grunted with pain as the blade slid home with a sickening rip, like the sound of canvas being torn apart. She pulled back the blade feeling the warm rush of his blood mingled with the icy rain that was falling.

"There you go big boy" she said and kissed his cheek as she pulled the blade all the way out watching with interest as he struggled to hold his guts in with one hand.

She raised an eyebrow over the rim of her wrap around glassess."I'm wondering wich of you fucks want's to be next?" she crouched down switching the blade between hands and feeling the congealing blood snake its way down both her arms.

"Whoa there Wylie" one of the Merks said "Ain't looking to take you in dead. No bounty in that is there? And your slam boss will pay a pretty penny to have you back in one piece" the merk chuckled and elbowed his partner.

" She sure is pretty when she gets herself all worked up like that aint she?"

Wylie grinned and chuckled right back with them." How bout' this assholes? I'm not goin' back with you, him or any other piece of shit Rozemond sends out to "fetch" me"

"OOOhhh big words from the little girl "the merk said. "well Wylie the sad fact is… well, you don't have much of a choice." the merk reached down and adjusted his pants which had become increasingly tight. "And seeing as how Rozemond didn't particularly say we couldn't have fun with you before we returned you, I for one am looking foreword to it"

"You sick fucker! This is really twistin your balls aint it?"Wylie spat

The merk chuckled "yeah it is"

"Well then" Wylie replied," mind if I smoke before the festivities begin?"

She reached around to her back pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack of Vestiuvian cigarettes. Placing one in her mouth and pulling a silver cased lighter out of the other pocket she lit the cigarette pulling a lung full as the cherry began to smolder in the rain.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she asked quietly. "Want one?" she held the battered pack out to the Merk.

"I hear that there excessively expensive and on a Merks salary this might be one luxury you don't want to pass up," she said with a grin

The Merks looked at each other and shrugged "don't mind if I do" the big one said as he reached forward.

Wylie chuckled letting the Merk reach toward the cigarettes as he did she caught his hand dragging him forward and grinding the smoldering cigarette into his eye.

"Smoking is a fucking nasty habit you know," she yelled into his face as the Merk howled in pain.

Wylie reared back dropping the Merks hand and squarely planted her boot in his groin."How's that for twisting your balls?"

The last Merk standing advanced on Wylie.

"Listen very carefully girl." He drug out the last word like a profanity.

"I'm not fallen' for what I can get from you or what's between your legs I'm bringing you in, in one piece. Don't even begin to try to fuck with me," he said quietly as he pulled out a pair of restraints with the gun trained on her. " Now. Slowly empty your pockets and put down the blade"

"Right. Right "Wylie said sarcastically as she dumped her pockets on the ground.

She slowly raised her well-muscled arms over her head and stared into the drizzling sky.

"Gods not going to help you now girly" the merk growled.

Wylie grinned letting the rain patter into her face.

"I know "Wylie replied quietly as the merk advanced on her pushing her further into the wall behind her. The merk pulled down Wylie's arms slapping the restraints on them and laughing.

"Somehow I figured you were going to be harder to catch"

Wylie spit in his face and the Merk ground her into the wall.

"Easy girlie wouldn't do to get me pissed right now"

Wylie still looking up laughed and sprang up wrapping the chains of her restraints around a pipe jutting out of the wall behind her and pulling her body up. The merk caught off balance-toppled foreword and Wylie wrapped her legs around the Merks neck pinning it between the well-muscled crook of her leg and squeezing.

"You know" Wylie panted. "They say that women don't have as much upper body strength as a man but, I think its pretty much bullshit"

The merk let out a wheezing breath and Wylie squeezed harder.

"Looks like the fights all gone out of you my friend" as she pushed her back against the brick wall behind her and squeezed her leg even harder. The Merks hands began to flutter much like butterfly wings on her legs. In a last attempt to save his life he reached into his belt and pulled out a blade plunging it into Wylie's abdomen. She screeched and let the Merk go hanging limply from her restraints. The Merk wheezed and held his throat with the blade in his bloody hands

"Serves you right bitch" he leaned over and yanked her now lax body down off the wall letting her fall into a puddle with a wet slap. He straddled her body thrusting the blade up to the hilt into her chest. He looked up from her now cooling body, wiped his blade on his pants and looked around.

Someone was in the alley.

"Hey you" the voice from the dark corner of the alley said.

"Yeah?" said the Merk

"She dead?" the grumbling voice from the ally said

The merk looked down and kicked Wylie in the ribs. "Yup" the Merk said" just polished her off"

"Ill give you 100 credits if you let me fuck her before she gets cold"

The Merk looked down at his lost bounty "hey man, whatever you wanna do with her is none of my concern once the stuffs in my hands"

"Come on over and get it "the grumbling voice said.

The merk smiled and headed into the darkened corner where a pair of silver eyes waited for him

………………………………...............................................................................................................

Wylie woke to the sound of someone yelling in her ear and shaking her. Although the sound was far off, she could just make out the words. She began to try to focus on them when her head rocked back of its own accord and a stinging sensation took over the whole side of her face. Wylie gasped and the whole world swam back into bright focus.

She cracked one eye and looked up squinting against the light that she knew had to be there. The shadow of a large figure loomed over her. Wylie intuitively starting moving her hands slowly through the icy puddles looking for her Shiv that she knew she had dropped. Another slap rocked her head to the side and Wylie coughed up a mouth full of rainwater.

"Get the fuck up" a voice growled over her and shook her again

Wylie felt herself being lifted off the damp ground by one arm feeling as if it was being pulled out of the socket. Wylie mumbled something incoherent.

"Up" the voice urged again as she got her feet under her and swayed hardly able to stand.

"Well," the voice growled, "this is interesting. Didn't expect you to survive much less be standing"

The world swam in black and gray streamers as she tried to get her bearings. The pounding in her chest was unbearable and she felt like she had been gutted. Wylie staggered and felt her arm being jerked up again

"So this was your grand plan? Get yourself shivved by some nickel-slick merk's and let the life bleed outa you? Riddick clicked his tongue against his teeth "sounds like a waste of a shine job to me"

A wave of nausea swept over her.

"Whoever the fuck you are, let off on my fucking arm you're pulling it out of the goddamn socket" she managed to get out before she retched, falling to her knees.

Riddick looked down with a tilt to his head "I'm not pulling you up again. You choose, lay there in the puddle and wait for some merck to come along and collect the sorry bounty on you're ass or put your legs underneath you and walk." Riddick kneeled down staring her in the face "I'm only askin once and I know you can hear me." He reached behind him pulling out his shiv tapping her on the head with the handle

………………………………..............................................................................................................

The light outside the hotel window was driving him mad, bathing the room in what appeared to be running rivulets of pink blood. Riddick wasn't used to frequenting places like this but, the girl needed some place to get dry and rest a while. He looked over at her prone body laid across the bed, sodden clothes with that unhealthy pink color sliding down her cheeks.

"Strange girl" he muttered to himself as he stood up from the threadbare chair next to the bed. He thought of the alleyway and the fact that after he had looked her in the eyes he saw something pop. He couldn't put a bead on it exactly but he knew it was this broad's will to survive. The way she had drug herself up from that puddle, blood trailing down the front of her white tank making it look like roses were blooming on it. The way she had shrugged him off when he tried to steady her faltering steps and the way she had, staggering made it to this rat-hole of a hide away and had managed to still keep enough presence of mind to keep her shiv pulled out and next to her on the rumpled wet sheets. Things could get interesting with this one he thought.

Riddick had seen what slam could do to women. Tear them down make them weak make em whores. She looked innocent he thought. "couldn't be more than 26" he mused aloud as he tilted her face from side to side noting the graceful line of her jaw and her high cheekbones. "Such a fine little thing to be in slam" Riddick said carefully. He knew that to be untrue. Repeatedly Riddick had learned through lessons hard taught that a killer, a liar, a thief can wear any mask; the most dangerous of those being youth and beauty. It was curiosity more than anything that prompted Riddick to pull off he tank and bra in one deft move letting them fall with a wet splat on the floor next to the bed

"What the fuck?" Riddick quipped softly looking at the body laid out before him. Where the blade wounds were was no more than a ragged bloody ridge of puffed tissue. Riddick ran his callused fingers under her breast over her ribs and down to the hollow of her stomach right above her navel where the second wound was. He took in the scene with a predator's eye for detail. Wide hips, flat stomach, large breasts, muscular shoulders, arms and soft, soft skin. He hissed in a breath fingering the piercing she had in her navel and the other two she had in each nipple that glowed dimly in the florescent light.

"Missed one" Wylie said quietly.

Riddick jerked back his head to glare at her, noting the pink tinged light bouncing from her shine under her glasses.

She slowly brought out her tongue showing a silver ball at the end of it and ran it along her teeth making a faint clicking sound.

"Planning on adding rape to your already impressive list of crimes Riddick? Wylie asked staring at him unblinkingly from behind her glasses.

Riddick stared at her expressionless and tilted his head to the side. Instantly he was kneeling on the bed between her legs grabbing her hips hard enough to bruise them and dragging her splay-legged to rest in his lap with a speed that knocked the breath out of her.

Riddick laughed harshly.

"Rape?" "Oh Wylie." He raised an eyebrow. "I can call you that cant I?" He looked up to the ceiling laughing quietly. He quickly focused his attention back down to her, leaning forward and whispering into her ear seductively…

"If I really had a mind for it.," he said pulling her tighter into his lap and grinding his crotch against hers.

" I'd fuck you up against the wall, on the floor and rip up that soft skin of yours for as long as I wanted to and you would come apart in my arms screaming for more."

Wylie stiffened in Riddick's grasp. It's what gave her away. Wylie whipped her arm over her head grabbing her shiv from the tangled sheets and put the edge right up against Riddicks neck, only to feel the cold edge of his biting into hers.

"Too close to the truth Wylie?" Riddick growled. "I got under your skin a little didn't I? Riddick pressed into her shiv's edge, drawing blood and moving closer until their noses were almost touching. He sniffed her hair. "I can smell it you know? Your lust, your fear." he sniffed again. "And fear. Is. A. beautiful thing." he said forcing her chin around to look right into his eyes

"Come on Riddick." Wylie barked. "Make a slice," she said pulling her neck taught against his blade. "My dance card's not full for the evening and I'm sure I can always use another partner."

Riddick laughed "got balls kid. I'll give you that" Riddick relaxed his hand giving Wylie a little more room to breathe. She gasped drawing a lung full of air as Riddick moved her hand away from his neck and rose off the bed.

Wylie sat up putting her shiv back down on the bed and leaning over holding her head. She swung her legs over the side standing slowly. She reached over to the rickety bedside table and pulled off her pack of smokes and her lighter. Her white tank and bra were still in a wet crumbled heap on the floor, a puddle forming around it. Wylie bent over carefully minding the ever-present pounding in her head which had now taken a life of its own and picked them up walking over to the window and putting them over the bedside lamp that was there. She faced the window looking out into the rainy street below and rested her arms on either side of it flexing the muscles in her back as she did.

"Wylie" Riddick grumbled behind her.

"Yeah?" she said looking over her shoulder to riddick.

"You really from a slam? He asked quietly the tenor of his voice rumbling

She nodded her head as she lit her cigarette the cherry glowing dimly reflecting in her silvered eyes.

"Triple max baby" she inhaled making the cherry glow, its reflection caught in the window she was faceing."Vesta 5. Too fucking cold and dark on that rock for much else."

"Didn't strike me as the slam type," Riddick said

"Didn't think I was till I went there." she exhaled sending the smoke dancing in little eddies around her pale face. "But, we are what we are. Not what we pretend to be."

"Wasn't pretendin' to be anything else"

She shot him a dirty look over her shoulder "not talkin' bout' you Riddick." she said quietly.

Wylie pulled open the window letting the rain damp air wash into the room. She took another pull off her cig and put it on the window ledge grabbing her tank from the lamp and wringing it out on the floor.

"You should be ghosted" Riddick said with amusement. He sat down in the chair leaning foreword the dim street light reflected in his goggles.

"Yep. Leave it to a woman not to have sense enough to die." she said

"So what's the deal?"Riddick asked steepeling his fingers. "Implants, alien antibodies, D.N.A. testing what? "or," he said calculating "is it in your genetic make up?"

"Don't know, you tell me. Grew up on Vestuvia, seemed pretty normal to me."

She said pulling on her cig again and rolling the smoke around in her mouth before blowing little smoke rings."

"Unless of coarse your daddy just happens to be working for a planetary agency trying to make soldiers less expendable." "Testing of course." she went on. "Was limited to a select handful of people and well, when they died, they dropped dad's funding. But, good ol' pops never stopped plodded right on using the family. My brother was the first to go."

She said looking down into the street. "Wasn't strong enough dad said. Couldn't hold up to the tampering and induction of strange D.N.A. Rejected it. Mom was next. She's gone too. And finally well there was lil' ol' me. High concentrates of clotting, cells, high concentrate of dermas and epidermis cells, and a dash of above average testosterone to bulk up the muscles and keep everything running quickly." Results?" she asked looking over her shoulder. "Someone who can get stabbed cut or has damage to major muscles and heals almost all the damage within a 2 to 5 hour timeframe." "ahh. The miracles of modern science"

"You said almost all the damage," Riddick said quickly

She pointed a finger at him. "See. I said you never missed a trick". Yeah the outside heals you know, holds everything in no loss of blood, but the inside, veins and arteries and such, that takes longer to heal.

Riddick grinned knowingly" so, you could be bleeding to death from the inside and never know it"

"Yup."

Riddick laughed, "Oh, your daddy really fucked you up didn't he? "He leaned foreword lifting his chin towards her. "The shine job? "daddy hook you up with that too?"

"Nope. Slam operation." she grinned

She flicked the cigarette out into the rain and leaned back on to the window ledge her tank hanging like a shed skin in her hands.

"So why are you still here Riddick? Never been known to be the caring sensitive type."

He smirked at her "things might get a little fun with you around, chance to kill some merks and get into some trouble." he stood in one graceful movement. "Figured I'll be here till I get bored or kill you, one or the other."

"Then lets hope I stay interesting." she said.

"Do me a favor kid. Put back on the tank. It's distractin' as hell.

She ignored him turning back to the window. "Well, I guess we leave here, see if we can steal a transport.

"Leave?" Riddick asked. "And I was just takin' a shine to our luxurious accommodations. He said sarcastically. "Besides, already got one."

"Can it Riddick "she said walking over to the bed and slipping damp tank down over her head.

………………………………...............................................................................................................

The first time she had heard of Riddick she was about 22 and goin' into her first triple max slam. Not that she hadn't been in others before but this was the bottom. The worst of the worst. And why in the fuck they sent her into this shithole only god could guess. They had seemed perfectly happy keeping her in the phyck ward on Cigna's 1.

That was after the discovery of her "violent sociopath nature" the doctors had said. "Yeah. She thought to herself the "violent sociopath that appears when six prison bitches try to rape you." Not that she could remember much of it anyway between the injections of thorazone and animal tranks they slammed into veins.

Her life on Cigna's 1 was routine, Wake, shower, injection, lift weights, eat, injection. Life had passed that way since she had been seventeen.

"And removed for the overall protection of herself and the other inmates" she thought in her most clinical sounding voice. Now, sitting on her ass on the docking bay floor with enough restraint on her to hold back five men; Arms painfully pulled up behind her at an odd angle and a steel bit wedged into her mouth. She knew things were about to change drastically. Being a violent sociopath, killin people didn't mean shit here they were ALL violent sociopath killers. If she hadn't been so fucked by the shakes and withdraw she might of laughed at the fact that she had just slid into the depths of anonymity She curled herself into the smallest ball possible to avoid attention from the merks circling their new haul. She had tried looking around at her surroundings only to be roughly yanked up by her arms and flung into a corner by herself, merk looming over her.

"Hey shithead." the merk said. Pushing up her chin with the barrel of his rifle.

Wylie lowered her eyes trying not to make contact.

"Lookit me when in talkin' to you, you walking pile of shit."

Wylie glared up at him trying to say something around the steel bit in her mouth.

The merk laughed, "What was that?" "Yeah, women are always better off with something in their mouth." and gestured rudely to his crotch.

"Hey Ernie." the merk over her yelled.

"Yeah?" Ernie called back walking over, pulse rifle slung carelessly over one shoulder.

"You wanna go with me to take the "princess" over to see the slam boss? The merk said over her head

Ernie kneeled down in front of her staring into her eyes. "So this is Rozemonds new toy hunh?" Ernie looked over to the other merk. You know, I don't understand how that sadist manages to stay in charge of this shithole. What he do with the other one we brought in two months ago?

The other merk said sarcastically "Seems she took an untimely tumble down into a lift shaft."

'You know Rozemond, always careless with his toys"

Ernie scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess so. Just dropping her in front of his pit as usual?"

Wylie shrugged her shoulders trying to get the pressure to lessen in them some.

"Up bitch."' the merk said yanking her arms up until her shoulders popped sic kingly. She struggled to get her feet under her encumbered by the restraint chains

"Easy Brian" Ernie said looking at him "Rozemond wont appreciate broken merchandise"

"That bastard can shove it." Brian said pushing Wylie in front of him. "I give her three weeks at the most before he gets bored and is on our tails for another one."

"Be that as it may." Ernie said." I didn't drag this slut halfway around this star system to only get half the credits."

Wylie squinted, the sweat running into her eyes and body shaking from withdraws. They swiped their access card and called out to the slam guards pushing her past rows of cells with whistling cons in them. She hung her head making a conscious effort to place one foot in front to the other saying a quiet mantra to her. Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, one more step, don't fall.

"So you hear about Riddick" Ernie said to Brian.

"you mean that piece of shit that escaped from that triple max a while back?" the guy who took out all them merks?"

"Yep. Thada be the one. You know Johns is looking for him. . Already killed seven." heard it all over the comm this morning.

"Riddicks gotta be worth a small fortune by now"

"Yep. About 2.7 mill."

Brian whistled "shit. Heard he had a run in with riddick earlier. Heard he almost put his light out. Johns was in the med lab for a while after that one. Brian said.

Both the merks slowed their pace. "Well, here you go sweetheart." Brian said kicking the legs out from under her. Her head hit the floor with a thundering crack, causing stars to burst into her vision.

The door of the office cracked open as Wylie was pulled back up by her hair. Vision swimming.

"It's always such a pleasure to see a young lady on her knees." the disembodied voice said.

From the time she found herself in the slam, and as the slams boss new toy, she read every report, sighting and com cast of Riddick she could find. Not that she glorified in his carnage or the things he did. It was the ideal really that a man. A one Richard B Riddick could go up against a triple max system…and escape. And from what she heard, Butcher Bay was no walk in the park. It comforted her in some small way. The fact that maybe she'd get out of this alive. Maybe shed get free…maybe she was full of shit. Pipe dreams for a little girl, stuck in a woman's body and growin' up excessively fast. Sometimes at night she remembered, when the rape, beatings and overall brutality would wear her down to nothing' she would hold that hope like a small guttering flame against the overwhelming darkness…before it swallowed her

She looked up lost in her thought but still following Riddick closely. He wove in and out of the back alleyways like running ink. Never slowing down but constantly alert moving quickly with that ground-eating stride of his.

Riddick stopped holding up a finger and quickly pulling out a shiv. Wylie leaned against the wall behind him breathing heavily and hanging her head, trundles of long soaking hair framing her face.

"You all right kid?" Riddick asked amused

Wylie looked over at Riddick."yeah." she sounded out of breath.

Riddick leaned back against the wall crossing his arms over his chest, shiv hanging loosely in his right hand."Lissen kid. If you don't think you can make it, or pace with me drop back now. Once we start runnin and the killin starts your ass is your own. If you fall I will not stop for you." he said looking into the night sky.

Wylie shook her head "Got it" she said quietly

Riddick loomed over her his goggles and stillness made him seem like a snake getting ready to strike "What happened to your mouth?" he said running a callused finger from her chin to the corner of her lip. The tip of his finger coming away dark and slick. Riddick sniffed his finger, tongue snaking out of his mouth to trace it. "Tastes arterial," he said quickly moving closer to her.

"Don't know what you're talkin' about." Wylie said stubbornly.

"Hey," Riddick grinned. "It's you're funeral. Just remember what I said."

Riddick turned quickly from her leaving a cold void where he had just stood.

"You comin'?" Riddick asked

"Might as well" Wylie replied looking him in the eyes. "Besides this fuckin rain is really making my underwear chafe," she said with all the bravado she could muster.

Riddick plunged into the gloom ahead.

The area where the abandoned merk ship was buried was quiet. No sign of life stirred around it. The air move fitfully making the rain slash up against them like a thousand stinging needles. Riddick raised his shiv keeping it close to his body as he sprinted to the dune where the ship laid undiscovered in the wet earth. Pulling out his locator, he quickly punched in a code. The sand on the dune began to stir as the merk ship pulled itself to the top.

Wylie nervously looked around. It seemed too quiet. If the bounty was still on her head and his, where was the welcoming party? She thought to herself. A small breeze blew a wet strand of hair in front of her vision. She restlessly moved pulling out her shiv, scanning the dunes around Riddick and her self. Wylie tilted her head to the side slowing her breathing and pricking up her ears for any sound. Nothing just rain.

The plasma blast hit the dune with a deafening crack scattering bits of sand and rock over her head like hail Wylie hit the sand knocking the breath out of her and scrambling to wipe the wet grit from her glasses.

Riddick she yelled through the dune listening to her voice echo off the sand. Riddick she yelled again pulling herself to her knees. Riddick goddaminit. If you're there fucking answer me. Wylie stood shiv glinting dully in her hand. She ducked her head and began to run across the dune heading towards the ship.

"RIDDICK" she screamed looking around frantically. She slowed her steps taking in the scene in front of her. Riddick had managed to make it to the loading ramp of the ship only to be stopped by two merks in heavy armor. One was holding Riddick at point range with a gun pointed at his face while the other peeled his goggles from his face shining a torch into his eyes. Wylie was sure the third was out there lurking in the dunes a sight trained on her.

"What to do. What to do" Wylie said quietly to herself. She looked up checking the merks position around Riddick.

"Who the fuck was screaming for you Riddick?" one of the merks asked bringing the torch closer to his eyes. "Your partner? The other chimed in.

Riddick barked laughing squinting his eyes against the phosphorescence of the torch. "Come on now bounty man. You know I work alone."

The merks looked around moving their head from side to side. Wylie then realized that she had the advantage. With the phosphorous torch, they couldn't see beyond the circle of the light and the pouring rain had muffled her approach. As long as she stayed out of that light, she could pick them off one by one. She moved quietly around the ship towards its nose. Keeping as small a target as possible. The merk with the plasma gun was about 20 feet in front of her just to the left of the ship. "Bastard" she thought. " Fucking cowards all of you" she crouched down and moved silently behind him.

There was a moment where she thought she had been spotted. Sure that the merk with the gun had seen her. She stood still slowly pulling off her glasses and hooking them in the dip of her tank. The pale reflection of the phosphorous torch bounced off the hull of the ship making her silvered eyes glow green. She stood over the merk crouched on the sand swallowing hard the rainwater making icy rivulets down her back.

She leaned over and blew into the merks ear "hello there beautiful" she said seductively as she pulled the blade of the shiv across his neck spilling out his life in a warm, steaming rush. No fuss, no muss, lotta mess. Wylie pulled the rifle out of his flaccid hands and slung it on to her shoulder jogging quickly through the sand.

She threw herself into the dune right in front of the loading ramp. Just out of the ring of light that the torch threw off.

The com on the merks vest crackled to life. "Jenson, Daniels you there?

"Yeah go ahead." the merk with the torch replied.

"Have you achieved the target?" the com crackled

"Yes. Riddick, Richard B is in custody." the merk shouted over the wind.

"Be advised that there is an update on bounty targets in your sector. Wylie S. L. last scene on transport to Hellion Prime. Be advised armed and dangerous.

"What's the bounty?" the merk shouted back

"2.3 mil the com crackled back. Payable in cash once she is returned to Vesta 5 triple max slam.

"Who do we get our pay from?

"Wait a minute" the com spat."Uhhh. Rozemond Edward, J"

"Where the fuck a slam boss get that kind of cash?"

"Were not in the business of asking fucking questions, Jenson. Put Mr. Riddick in cryo on board your ship and get your cracked assess back out there looking for her. Docking records also indicate another merk party landed just under six hours ago. Three guesses who the two people on their most popular list are. Williams and Troy are set to meet with you in less than fifteen, so keep your coms on and for the love of god, don't fuck this one up.

"Come on silver eyes" one of the merks jibbed. I bet if we put out his eyes, the prison would pay us double bounty. Riddick jerked his head back chuckling as the merk brought the torch closer to them.

Wylie trained the scope of the rifle on the merks head and squeezed down on the trigger "bang" she said silently as the merk who was holding the torch head exploded into a cloud of blood and bone spraying Riddicks face. Riddick ran his tongue over his lips laughing, "Looks like someone else found their own sweet spot."

The last merk looked around fear glossing his eyes "Where the fuck is she?," he yelled moving behind Riddick pulling his head back.

Riddick laughed again closing his eyes. He quickly reached to his leg pulling out a hidden shiv and fell back on the last merk. The merk bellowed in panic lighting up the air with plasma fire. Riddick wrenched the gun out of his hand laughing as he flipped him over burying the shiv deep in his back.

" Fourth vertebra." Riddick growled pulling the shiv out of the merks back with a wet sucking sound and wiping the shiv on the corpses vest.

Riddick stood up stretching, shiv in his hand slowly rotating his back cracking his spine and neck.

Wylie walked up kicking up clods of wet sand with her boots the rifle strap wrapped around her hand.

"You all right Riddick she asked tilting her head to the side. Her eyes still catching the dim green glow of the torch.

Riddick shrugged walking up the gangway of the ship, heavy boots echoing on the steel.

"You did good"…Riddick jumped back as a blast of a concussion rifle rocked the ship sending Wylie sliding forward on her chest and chin.

Riddick ran forward hitting the cargo close hatch, dragging her in before the rear door slammed shut on her feet.

Wylie was laying face down on the floor of the ship when she felt the engines rumble to life beneath her

Riddick looked back into the bay. "hold on to something.' He yelled over the voice of the engines as they strained to break the atmosphere.

She looked around scampering on hands and knees to where the cargo netting was and twining her hands into it

She leaned back against the hold, sweat running into her eyes.

……………………………….........................................................................................................

He sat in the captains chair and stared down at the planet they had just left its rolling clouds and stormy atmosphere. Space could be peaceful he thought to himself. He squinted his eyes against the glare of the power beams that emerged from the surface of Hellion Prime. Reaching over to the control panel he easily hit the switch for the gravity modulator and plot a course to one of the barren moons in the Hellion star system. Riddick leaned back in the chair, his superior bulk easily fitting into it. He could feel the twinges of a headache coming on.

"Goddamn merks". He ground out. "Always sniffin on my tail like a bitch in heat." running a hand over his face he felt the stubble there and realized how tired he was. It had been what? Five, six days since his last nights sleep? Not that he slept much anyway. Years in the slam had taught him the invaluable art of catnapping. He put his booted feet on the control panel and crossed his arms over his head. Creasing his brow deep in thought as he stared out at the stars speeding by the cockpit window.

"This heap gottta a shower" a voice behind him asked.

"This heap just saved your tight pink ass." Riddick replied without taking his eyes off the window in front of him.

"Oh, that's what it was doing"? "Well while you were sitting on your knees playing, I spy with Daniels and Jenson I was saving yours." She said resting her hands on the back of the chair.

He shrugged "all right." Whatta ya want from me.?"

"Nothing" she replied. Quietly.

"Come on Wylie, Everyone has a price". He said swiveling in the captains chair nearly knocking her off balance. "What's yours?" He said quietly eyeing her coolly.

"A shower". She replied plucking at her ripped, bloodstained top and muddy pants.

"Down the main hall, first door on the left, shower cubicle. Don't expect any luxuries".

"Ok so perfume and a change of clothes are out of the question."

"No like soap." Riddick wrinkled his nose in distaste." I think the mark I stole this ship from didn't believe in it."

Water hot or cold would be a luxury. She thought. The dirt, sand and blood was really starting to piss her off.

She turned walking down the main hall to the shower cubicle her boots wringing hollowly on the steel plated hull.

God she had a nice ass he thought as he watched her go. Her muscular thighs rippling underneath her skintight pants.

Fighting had always made him horny; he shifted uncomfortably in the chair trying to ease the pressure on his swelling cock.

Riddick pushed the palms of his hands to his eyes willing the headache to go away. He thought of her in the shower cubicle stripping off the pants, tank and bra her muscular legs stepping into the shower, the spray sluicing over her pale skin, and the water beading on her flat stomach running down into the v in-between her legs. He shut his eyes and rolled his head back and forth to relieve the pounding pressure in it.

Women were strange beasts. Beautiful. Soft. Needy.

Every woman he met, hell he leveled with himself, everyone he met wanted something from him. The whores in the brothels wanted his money, the merks wanted his body and even Caroline and Jack they wanted something in the end, Caroline wanted him to be the hero that he knew he wasn't, and Jack wanted him to save her life. And Wylie well, Wylie wanted a shower. Didn't seem an even trade for his life. He was beginning to think that Wylie couldn't be bought and people who couldn't be bought meant trouble. People were always more forthcoming with information when they were venerable, yes wet, naked, and venerable was just what Wylie was right now. Riddick rose from the chair deciding it was time for some interrogation.

………………………………...............................................................................................

She stepped into the shower waving her hand over the temperature panel. "Warm" she said quietly as the shower hissed to life. She stuck her head in the stream and sighed. Watching the rivulets of fetid water run over her and gather in a merkey pool at her feet. She loved the feeling of cleanliness even if it was only an illusion. She winced inwardly at the thought of putting back on the clothes lying in a heap by the shower door. She began to feel anxious about being in the shower with Riddick roaming around the ship. Quietly she chided herself as she reached out the shower door and grabbed her shiv that had been carelessly discarded on top of her pile of dirty clothes. Instantly she felt comforted kinda of like the special blanket that everyone has when he or she is little she thought.

She moved to put the shiv on the soap dish next to the temperature panel and made an amazing discovery. Soap! A small silver, but soap nonetheless.

"The gods of cleanliness are shining on me today." She croaked, holding her new found treasure.

She began to lather the soap between her hands when she smelled something. It was Riddick. She fought the immediate urge to tense. No, not in the shower she thought throwing her senses out trying to locate him. But, more than likely leaning against the door of the bathroom. It was funny how she had smelled him before she had heard him. Not that Riddick made much noise anyway. She took another deep breath letting the ventilating system over her head blow his scent to her. Sweat. Musk. A feral smell. Testosterone and underneath it all, excitement. She pulled in through her nose again. Yes, it was right there. Excitement. As long as he was looking, she might as well make it that way.

………………………………........................................................................................................

Riddick leaned in the bathroom door looking at it spartan contents. The small bathroom on the merk ship was built for function and not for any astatically pleasing form… There was a small counter to the left with a wash basin in it. Below that was a toilet and to the right was the shower stall made out of plexiplastic. The three clear walls jutted out of the side of the hull. However, neither the bathroom nor the shower was what was holding Riddick's attention; it was the wet writhing creature inside.

She had her back turned to him, her dark hair falling in-between her shoulder blades coming to rest right on the round swell of her ass. Her eyes were closed; head tilted back into the spray of the shower. The bathroom light was set at around five percent Riddick guessed, too dark for normal eyes but light enough for his to make out every moist curve of her body. She slowly turned to the side showing her profile. Her hands lightly running soap over the mounds of her breasts and making tiny circles. Soap? Riddick thought, and then shook his head returning to the scene in front of him. She ran her fingers feather light to the tips and slipped her fingers through the steel rings there lightly tugging on them. She arched her back and shuddered, moaning softly.

A bolt of lust sliced through Riddick as he gripped the metal doorframe of the bathroom and felt his cock hardening painfully. Riddick thought of his callused hands running over the soft skin of her tits and tugging on the rings there, making her back arch and mouth moan.

She smoothed a fingertip under the valley of her breasts making them sway gently, disturbing the water beaded on the tips and causing it to slide slowly down the lower side of her breast making a glimmering trail down her ribs

Riddick snapped his eyes shut seeing her pushed up against the wall while he used his tongue to lap the water off her nipple and follow its trail down her ribs. He growled inwardly

Her hands slid down her ribs coming to rest on either side of her navel. She scored the flesh of her hips with her nails leaving red welts across them.

He thought of her on the floor, him thrusting deep inside her and her nails scratching his back and body bucking while she screamed his name. God, fucking her would be so sweet. He thought.

She turned her eyes still closed to the plexiplastic panel and moved her hands lower pushing herself up against it.

Riddick moved farther into the bathroom. Her eyes snapped open giving him a disdainful silver stare.

"Tisk,tisk,tisk ". She said behind the boundary of the plexiplastic. It's fucking impolite to spy on people in the shower.

"My ship. My shower." Riddick shrugged. His face remaining impassive.

"Didja think…"He said quietly as he traced his long fingers down the side of the shower stall, coming to the door and opening it. His large shoulders blocking the entrance.

"That I would just sit there like a pussy and let my dick get hard?" He tilted his head slightly looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

He reached out and grabbed her arm running the tip of his tongue up the muscle and collecting the drops of water that beaded there. She looked down at him. His eyes making contact with hers looking as if he had been caught in something intimate.

He tugged on her arm moving her closer.

"Didja think…" He ground out. "That I was just some dumb animal, in a cage that you could tease through the bars, one that would never get out and touch you're Soft. White .Skin? "

He said darkly. Putting his other hand behind her neck pulling her tightly against him, her chest making dark, damp circles on his dusty black tank. He released the back of her neck.

"Fucking look at me!" He almost shouted pushing her chin up and causing her eyes to stare into his.

"Didja?" He asked quietly clicking his tongue on the back of his teeth.

He ran the back of his hand down over the side of her cheek and skimmed along her jawbone letting it come to rest in the divot at the base of her throat. He moved his face foreword and buried it in the nape of her neck. His breath moving the tiny hairs there. She tried to slowly back away and his grip tightened painfully on her arm as he growled.

"Don't move." He said forcefully

.

"You know," he said in a calm voice. "You're a funny woman". He moved his lips from the nape of her neck to the shell of her ear his lips brushing it as he spoke.

"I can only smell your fear when I'm close to you like this. Funny, you're not afraid to die; I didn't smell it then, not afraid of pain didn't smell it then either."

"But fucking", he laughed slowly "you're afraid of."

He jerked his head up. The look in his eyes was feral.

"What are you afraid of? That ill fuck you to death?" He said between clenched teeth. He pressed on her arm forcing her into the shower, her back pressed up against the plexiplastic wall.

"I could you know," he said pulling both of her arms over her head and holding them with one of his.

"Fuck you to death. That is." He said in a whisper.

He leaned to her face again. The water dripping off the bridge of his nose. He pulled in a large breath causing his nostrils to flare never taking his eyes off her the whole time. He ran his other hand down her neck over the mounds of her breast to the tip lightly fingering the ring there he tugged on it gently. She arched into his hand hissing between her teeth. Riddick smiled out of the corner of his mouth. His nostrils flared again

.

"I can smell you Wylie." He said seductively. "You're wet for me."

"And you're hard for me." Wylie spat back angrily. "Yeah. Maybe I am a little afraid of fuckin but if you're going to, please do so, cause all this talkin is borin me to fuckin tears".

Riddick threw his head back and laughed. "You are a hard ass aren't you?" He said letting her arms down easily.

She rubbed at the bruises on them and looked up "Yeah, tough as nails." "That me." she said sliding out from behind him.

"Wylie." Riddick said.

"Yeah." She said not looking at him.

"You know id fuck you…you know you'd like it." He said stubbornly.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." she shot back over her shoulder as she stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway nude, slamming the door behind her.

Riddick walked down the hallway his boots ringing on the steel walkway. He ran the towel over his freshly shaved head and face letting it rest around his shoulders. He grabbed his goggles out of the pocket of his cargo pants sliding them back to the top of his brow. He looked into the cockpit seeing the top of Wylie's head, her dark hair resting over the back of the copilot's chair. She had her knees pulled up under her chin.

God she looked tiny like that riddick thought. He fell into the captain's seat next to her tossing the towel on the floor. He looked over at her noticing the dark circles under her eyes. She must have been sleeping like shit too. Riddick mused. He leaned back making the leather of the chair squeak with the dampness of his clothes.

"Where'd you get that ridiculous shirt?" he asked looking at her.

She plucked the merks oversized zipper front shirt away from her looking down at it. "In the overhead on top of the gun safe.", She said looking back out at the cloud of gas they were passing.

"So, who is this guy Rozemond. And why is he payin out the ass to get a hold of you? "Riddick asked, not looking over at her.

"A slam boss." she said quietly. "I was his toy."

"Why were you in the slam in the first place?"

"Killed my father. The government tends to frown on you when you go around offing leading scientists. What is this twenty fucking questions?"

Riddick ignored the question. "So they sent you directly to Vesta 5?"

"Nope. I first started out at Cigna's 1. Phyck ward. Rozemond had me transferred to Vesta 5 when I was 22."

"Do you know what kind of strings he had to pull to get you transferred?"

"No string attached." Wylie said laughingly

"He was my fathers half brother. Same mom different dad. Told the board of directors I was his lost niece and all this other shit. They had me transferred in the name of family duty. But it was the merks who found me there first. I had been misplaced while in the wards lost records or some such shit. So he sent his lapdogs after me."

"Why?" Riddick looked confused.

"My "uncle" knew about my dads experiments. He wanted to find me to get the genetic information out of me."

"Why didn't he just go to the lab?"

"Cause I burned it. All of it right after I killed my dad."

"There are always buyers; all over the star system, war goes on some backwoods planet. People are always willing to pay for black market technology. Anything that will give em one up on the other guy. Besides, he didn't know exactly what my abilities were. And that made me the perfect "toy" when he found out what they were."

Riddick looked over at her.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" She said quietly. "Roszemond is a sexual sadist. My abilities kept me alive. I could take a lot of damage. She said sarcastically. He likes dangerous toys, the younger the better. Eventually I got too old for him. So, he placed me as a guard."

"Didn't have slam guards?"

She laughed. "Come on Riddick". She rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do that guards can be bought, or bribed. I couldn't on the other hand. He needed me especially after the merks got wise to his appetites and threatened to turn him in. funny isn't it? Merks with a sense of justice. He started searching on the inside of the slam for fresh young talent. Male or female. Didn't matter and if there is one thing a con hates its a…."

"Pedophile"…Riddick finished for her.

"Things passed like that for a while… me learning to shiv and shoot and fight with the best of the cons and guards. My little fucked up family. Not that I ever trusted any of them really." She tilted her head, letting her dark hair curtain around her face. "One night a con bribed his way past the slam guards, seems they like their pound of flesh too. The fresh piece of meat my uncle was with happened to be his lover. I got a shiv in my stomach for my troubles. I can still remember that kid screaming as I took his scrawny neck in my hands and snapped it. Like a chickens. It was after that my uncle decided to dredge up a doctor in the slam to get a shine done on me. Not that I wanted it. He wouldn't go to a regular medical doctor cause he couldn't flaunt his dirty little secret. Me."

"He couldn't trust you could he?"

"Told you. I couldn't be bought. Not that there wasn't times when I would sneak in his room and stand over him in the dark, looking at some little kid he had beaten or cut to a pulp layin next to him and reach out to strangle him. My thoughts always ran the same path on those nights. Kill him then myself. Cause I knew once he was gone, the people who were looking for me, for my fathers research would fall on me. And I would end up in some lab, in test tubes, on slides and little pieces for study. So I hid as many of the little ones as I could, before my uncle got a hold of em, use my connections on the inside of the slam or hacking into his computer to get em transfers. But I couldn't save em all."

"I'm sure if I stayed there, Rozamond would have killed me. The genetic info in me would have run out, people would have stopped buyin, and I knew too many of his nasty little secrets that would have him buried ass deep in cons on some triple max planet somewhere."

"So that's me, the walkin liability. Don't know why in the fuck I told you all this shit anyway."

She stood from the chair slowly pulling the shirt down around her knees. She walked over to his chair and stood next to it. "G' night Riddick" she said. He didn't respond, brow furrowed deep in thought looking out at the stars passing by. She leaned over and brushed her lips across his. A chaste kiss. He remained unresponsive still looking out the cockpit window.

She started to walk away from his chair towards the back of the ship.

Shit..Riddick thought to himself as he looked out the window. He knew what he wanted to do. His body was already responding to her scent, the pressure of her lips, the way her heartbeat sped up whenever she came close to him, instinct, the predatory part of his mind was screaming for him to strike, bite down on the soft flesh, make it squeal like a little trapped animal and bask in the carnage of it.. Logic was singin a completely different tune. She was strong, no not as strong as he was physically but she was mentally strong, he knew that assuming her weakness could be a deadly mistake. By the looks of things she could give as good as she could take. So the idea of a pliant little cowering thing beneath him was quickly dismissed. Besides Riddick, since when have you had an itch for a compliant lay? He was thinking of all the reasons not to get up out of the chair and follow her. Riddick had decided that he was very much a creature of instinct and his instinct was to follow her.

He got up. Running his hands over the muscles in his large arms. Shaking off the fatigue. He began walking, passing the bathroom on the left and across from that the gun cabinet. Full of merk toys he grumbled to him self. Concussion rifles, nets, gaph sticks, plasma guns and percussion batons as well as an assortment of bits and restraints and tranks. There was a small thunk in the back of the ship. Sounded almost like a pillow hitting the floor. That or a body. He sped up his steps to investigate rounding the corner of the main hall. He leaned his head into the sleeping berth and glanced around. The room seemed to be in order. Until he smelled something wrong, very wrong. He walked in. Bells and warnings singing in his head, heavy boots clanging on the floor with each careful step. She was there, he smelled her, the Vestavia cloves clinging to her skin like a rich perfume but that was buried by the smell of her blood, thick richly sweet and coppery. He could almost taste it the scent washed down his thought and in through his nose clinging there.

She was crumpled in the corner like some spoiled kids dolly that no one wanted. Riddick reached down and pulled her chin up looking into her face.

"Wylie" he said the deep bass rumbling out of his wide chest.

" Wylie" he said again more instant this time.

She jerked awake, her eyes normally the perfect mirror reflection of his glinted dully, like tarnished nickels.

"Wha?" She said slurring the edges a little.

Riddick leaned over scooping her up in his arms. He sniffed her, the copper, sweet scent was coming from her . Shit, she's bleedin he thought, but how bad he couldn't tell. He shook her trying to get some semblance of coherent conversation out of her

"Wylie." He said gruffly holding her in his arms.

"What?" she snapped at him

.

"You're bleedin, don't tell me you're not, I can smell it on you. How bad?"

"Bad enough." It came out in a whisper. "Probably got blood in my lung. "She coughed turning her head to the side and spit. "Might heal she laughed, might not."

Riddick looked down at her. "Why is it that every time I get involved with a woman I end up in some fucking emergency?"

"Involved?" she jibed quietly. "Is that what we are? Thought I was just along for the ride."

Riddick turned and began walking out of the room with her in his arms.

"Where we goin?" she asked sleepily.

"Goin to stick you in a cryo tube," he said. "Take this heap down to see a doc, get you patched up."

"Why?" she asked bewildered.

"From what you told me you're worth a lot of money on the market. I'm a murderer and an escaped con but not stupid. Wouldn't do to loose all the credits."

She stiffened in his arms looking at the floor. Trying to find a way down

.

"Relax." He grumbled. Pushing the cryo tube open with one hand he placed her inside. He looked at her and slowly closed the clear lid with an audible snap, set the control, and walked away.

"Maybe I like you kid." He said over the hissing to the machinery that was lulling Wylie into a deep dreamless sleep.

I live my life for the now. Not what could be, or what was. He thought to himself snapping the autopilot off and guiding the ship on a trajectory towards the Adhara system. Looking with one eye in the future and one in the past leaves no eyes for now, none too look out for number one. Life with people in it was complicated. Full of opinions and fights. Life with himself wasn't, his opinion was right and there was no one to argue with him. He shook his head clearing the cobwebs. Shit. Get people, get problems. She did save his life. So he guessed he owed her one, but he recognized other feelings there besides lust, …lust was what you felt for a whore, scratch the itch move on. He recognized it went beyond lust with Wylie, it was more…and less. He knew she could probably take care of herself, she was strong, agile and a good survivor. The mixture of these qualities in a man would almost insure a friendship. The problem was that he hadn't found anyone with them. Well, not many with them. And then she shows up. And just happens to have a pretty face, a great set of tits and a nice ass. Plus she's dangerous. He could feel himself being drawn into thinking about her and snapped himself out of it. All the walls he had put up all the time blocking out everyone, she was starting to weasel through, and that was aggravating , not to mention she wasn't even trying. That was irritating.


	2. a meeting with a Doctor

Lorman, what a shithole, Riddick thought to himself as he brought the ship to a halt in bay five. Springing up from his seat he grabbed the credit chip wedged between two of the hydraulic leavers. He reached the back of the ship and punched a glowing red button. The telltale hissing of the seal of the air lock breaking signaled the opening of the cargo bay door. Leaning down and looking through he stepped onto the metal plank. Reassessing his center of gravity he leaned back walking down the slope of the ships loading bay. Lorman was the same as it always was, reeking of piss, exhaust fumes and fetid water. Riddick wrinkled the bridge of his nose and waved the credit chip in front of the electronic scanner of the docking manager. The credits were removed with a series of clicks and whines culminating in a receipt being printed. He grabbed it and Lumbered back up the gangway of the ship. He reached the cockpit rolling the receipt into a ball and tossing it at the controls.

Lorman, Riddick mused. One of the sixteen separate planets in the Adhara star system. Lorman was the biggest. Although it was almost completely covered with reeking swamplands and cesspits, people had managed to make a home of it. The planet had served its purpose in the past as being part of a survival training camp for soldiers. Since then it's been in disuse. Leave it to fucking criminals to make a palace out of pile of trash he thought looking through the merk 's cabinet and shuffling its contents around Full of goddamn criminals, but also the best place in the whole goddamn galaxy to get black market anything. Lorman specialized in anything that couldn't be tied down, credits were the normal currency but, barter could work just as well. Fake eyes, hell real one too, meat, prostitutes that would do anything weirs thing you could pay for, bootleg ship parts, fake id passes, voice scan blockers and guns, lots and lots of guns. Plenty of lawyers, Mechanics, Killers for hire and doctors on this heap. The latter was his reason for being here. He finally found what he was looking for, a rather grubby but serviceable pair of issue cargos. I'm not about to try to get her back into the vinyl pants he thought with a shake of his head.

………………………………............

She woke understanding how a sack of garbage must feel. Every bump, every muscle in his shoulder was digging into her abdomen. Inwardly wincing at the pain she tried to readjust herself on his shoulder.

"Stop movin." Riddick said gruffly.

"Riddick." She whispered. "Put me down. You're makin the blood run out of my nose. "

He shook his head. "In a bad part of town. People think you're some drunken whore I'm takin to my room to cozy up with."

"Fuck you mean ."She said sarcastically. Bracing her arms on his chest and looking around she took in her surroundings. "Were on Lorman?" She asked astounded. "Might as well put me down now Riddick. This whole fucking place is a bad part of town."

"Takin you to see the doc. He's patched me up a couple of times." He rumbled.

"No you're not". She began to wiggle.

Riddick reached around her landing a slap on her rump with one of his huge hands. She bit back a yelp of pain.

"Stop movin." He said deadly serious. He could feel the blood from her nose soaking the cloth of his tank.

"Not going to the doc". She argued back. "Last time I saw one bad things happened.

He asked for favors. So I gave em to him".

"Favors?" Riddick questioned.

"Yeah". She said quietly. "Rozemond tried to pay for my shine job with my body.

Filatio always makes a girl hungry."

Riddick stiffened beneath her his step faltering."Remind me never to ask you for any favors.

"So," he ground out. "You'd rather bleed to death".

"No". She said. " Just make sure he knows the rules. No favors, I wont fuck him, suck him or any other pursuits he has in mind. Don't mind working it off. But I'm not whorin' my way out from underneath a debt. Rozemond always made that mistake. Thinking I would be so grateful for my "safety" that I would play along with his games. It was a lways a fight. But if I had known back then what I know now I probably wouldn't have. Fightin' is just what gets a sadist off."

"Why would the doc want a piece of your action?" "Lorman has more whores than you can shake a stick at."

"Looked around Riddick?" "Lots of willin bodies, but I wouldn't say the wares hadn't been roughly handled by more than a few people."

"Point taken" . He said

………………………………....................................

Number 47B Complex six was a dive. Trash was piled up around the doors of the apartments and rats skittered down the hallways. Several people were lounging against the railings drinking and playing a game of dice for credits.

"Nice place". Wylie murmured under her breath as Riddick knocked on the door…

A retina scan screen popped out of an alcove to the right of the door. A pleasing if disembodied voice chimed. "Please state your name and place your eye up to the screen for identification" . Riddick grumbled and knocked on the door again forgoing the retina scan.

"Doc? You there?" Riddick said.

A crack of artificial light appeared around the perimeter of the door. "Riddick?

That you?" The voice from inside said.

Riddick shifted his weight from one foot to the other moving Wylie on his shoulder. "Yeah. Its me." he said. "You opening the door? Or am I just gonna have to bust it down."

The voice from inside chuckled." Should have known it was you. Most people who visit me know the scan is a prerequisite for visits." He slid the heavy door open soundlessly. Riddick stepped over the threshold letting Wylie down to the floor with gentle ease.

"Who is this?" The doc asked suspiciously eyeing Wylie.

"Associate of mine" Riddick said. " You still in business?"

"For a friend?" the doc said. "Sure." "What's her problem?" he said looking her up and down. "Looks pretty healthy to me."

Wylie swayed on her feet, the loss of blood making her dizzy. She began to topple over when Riddick reached out a hand to steady her.

"Got a table we can put her on doc?" Riddick asked. "I'll fill you in later."

The small man moved through a hallway to the back of the apartment where a spare bedroom was converted to a makeshift surgery. He flicked on the powerful fluorescents bathing the room in sterile white light.

Riddick stepped back his eyes wincing. He protectively put a hand over her eyes blocking out most of the light.

"Sorry." the doc said sheepishly. "Forgot". He ran his fingers to his eyes.

"Why do you have hers covered? Don't tell me you've brought her here with the beginnings of Graco plague?" He looked at Riddick disapprovingly.

"Doc. Turn down the lights. Shine jobs in her eyes too."

Doc moved over to the switch dimming the lights. "A woman who survived a shine operation. Interesting. Never met one before."

Riddick hoisted her up into his arms and walked her over to the table placing her down gently.

"Mind if I check out your eyes?" The doc asked gently.

Wylie shook her head looking over to Riddick.

He pulled out a pin light from his coat pocket and reached over into a drawer next to the bed. He rummaged for a minute finally finding what he was looking for. He picked up a purple piece of plastic and clipped it on to the end of the light

"Ultraviolet filter." He said. He looked at Riddick. "Turn off the lights."

Riddick walked over to the wall flicking the lights off with a deft move of his wrist. He moved back over to the table where the doc was leaning over Wylie, a purple light reflecting off her eyes.

"Riddick come over here." Doc said.

Riddick leaned over docs shoulder looking into Wylies eyes.

"See that?" He asked moving the light around the surface of her eye.

"What?" Riddick asked

"The serial number" . Doc pointed the light right on her edge of her iris. "663-458-29". He read out. "Who did your job sweetie?" The dock asked.

"Doc in slam why?" She squinted

"The shine plate in your eye is military issue. Instead of there being one plate there are two. Causing the image of anything you see to be burned into your mind for later reference. It also has the added bonus of letting you see color. And letting your eyes adjust to more light than our friend here." He pointed a thumb at Riddick.

"I'm goin to go out and talk with Riddick now". He said clicking off the light with his thumb. "Try to relax."

Wylie looked up and nodded her head.

………………………………...................................

Riddick walked down the hallway with doc in tow.

"So what's the deal riddick? What's wrong with her?"

"Internal bleeding."

The doc winced looking at Riddick. "Even under the best of circumstances that's hard to fix Riddick."

Riddick's face remained impassive.

"She got her self shivved by some merk about a night ago. She'd be dead by now if not for the healing ability she has."

"What healing ability?"

"Lots of extras her daddy was kind enough to program into her."

"Program? You mean as in testing? Leme guess Riddick, her father happens to be Dr. Wylie the scientist who got himself murdered all those years back?"

"How'd ya know?"

He waved a hand at rRddick. "News travels fast. Ill see what I can do. No promises.

Oh, by the way how do you expect to pay for this?"

"Ask her. Just promise me somthin. Don't ask for any favors."

He nodded his head. "No favors, gotcha."

………………………………............................................................

The creatures were chasin him. And he was runnin through quicksand. They were ganin on him, their black bodies smooth and rubbery. Teeth set into their salivating maws like rows of needles. One hooted to the other using the echo to move in closer to its prey. He reached a surprising steady hand around his back to pull out his shiv and found its resting place to be empty. He cursed inwardly, moving behind a rocky outcrop and peering around. A black blur hit him, knocking him to the ground ad causing him to gasp. Reaching up to its snapping jaws he placed his large powerful hands around its mouth. The creature let out a hideous scream. Why was it screaming he asked himself, struggling. It screamed again this time louder. Sounding surprisingly like a woman's. Once again the scream ripped through him and he jolted awake. Looking around angrily trying to pinpoint the sound of the noise. He stood shaking off the cumulative effects of too many nights without sleep and not enough catnapping. The scream reverberated through the tiny apartment. Riddick turned on his heel and barreled down the hallway towards the surgery.

He flung open the door recoiling inwardly at what he saw. Dock was leaned over the top of her, surgical scalpel in one hand with the other buried to the forearm in her chest. Wylie was screaming incomprehensible babble, writhing against the restraints on her arms and legs. She had done a good job of chafing the skin on all her extremities to bleeding meat Riddick observed.

The dock shoved his hand in farther, cutting deeper with the scalpel as he went. She bucked against the new incision.

Doc turned looking over his shoulder. "Don't just stand there asshole. Come help hold her down. I can't get the bleeding to stop. Every time I start to make a cut into her the skin heals over before I can get into it".

"What happened to the anesthesia?"

"Ran out. Gotta to do it awake".

Riddick moved to the head of the bed leaning his full weight onto her shoulders. He looked down into her pale eyes.

"Wylie," he said calmly.

Her eyes shot taking in his face but not recognizing it.

He moved one of his hands calmly to her head and turned it to the side. "Wylie." He whispered into her ear. She tried bucking again but, he pressed on her shoulder again with more force pinning her to the bed.

"Goddamnit," doc shouted as gout of blood ran over the incision. Riddick looked up momentarily and then moved his mouth back down to her ear.

"I know you can hear me" . He said quietly. "Stay still don't fight, were tryin to piece you back together again. You fight, you loose more blood, and you grow weak. I know you. You're not weak. It hurts like hell. Deal with it he said angrily. Don't pussy out on me now .don't be a little girl. Don't be weak"

She whipped her head out of his hand glaring at him angrily. The glint in her eye was back.

"Good." Riddick growled. "Use that fucking anger to keep you're body still. Stop fucking movin. Use that anger to deaden the pain."

She began to relax in his grip.

Riddick looked up. "You getting close?"

"Yep." Doc said; "Just have to cauterize the lung artery and the pleura." He reached over and grabbed the cauterizing torch and sparked it to flaming life. "Hold on boys and girls. The rides about to get rough."

Doc touched the tip of the white hot torch to her chest cavity. She screamed like a banshee, her eyes rolling back into her head.

Riddick looked down to her. She had already slipped into oblivion.

………………………………..................................................................

Riddick walked over to the smaller man standing at the sink stripping his gloves off and washing his hands. Ribbons of crimson mixed with the water turning it pink.

"You're a goddamn butcher you know that.?" Riddick said

"Maybe a butcher, but she'll live."

Riddick strolled over to the glass front med cabinet and opened it slowly looking at the bottled anesthesia and pain killers there.

"Ran out hunh?" Riddick asked. He began to slowly stalk over to the doc.

"Hey." the doc said putting up his hands. "I'm not wastin expensive meds on someone I'm not sure of getting payment out of."

"So you put her on the table and slice her open awake?" Riddick roared. He was shaking with his anger. He raised a hand and pointed into the middle of Doc's chest. "Only. The fact that you did the shine job on me and kept me alive through it has saved you now." He pulled out his shiv, running the pointed tip under the beard stubble of doc's neck. "Next time I see you, fucker ill make sure to return the favor you visited on her."

Riddick walked over to the cabinet pulling out several bottles and grabbing the pillow from under Wylie's unconscious head. He shook the pillow out of the case and let it slide to the floor he loaded the bottles into it and slung it over his shoulder the bottles clinking faintly.

Riddick walked over to the bed pulling Wylie up gently, cradling her in his arms and wrapped the bloody sheet around her.

"See you around" Riddick spat back over his shoulder as he walked down the hallway.

Doc raced over to the phone and pressed a number into the touch screen. He waited patiently for the connection to go through, tapping his foot to the music that was played through the speaker.

A voice chirped "thank you for calling interplanetary criminal database. Any assistance you can give us is appreciated. Please enter the name, place and time you saw the criminal and we will have it sent directly to our mercenary dispatch unit." Doc filled out the questionnaire

Criminal: Riddick, Richard.

Location: Lorman

Accomplices: Woman, 5'6, waist length brown hair, Silvered eyes. Believed to be escaped convict Wylie, S.L. multiple piercing, Vesta five prison tattoo on left hip.

Last seen: around 6 o'clock last seen leaving 47B Complex six.

"Thank you for your help. If the information you have provided results in the capture of said criminals part of the bounty will be sent to you via credit chip."

Doc leaned back satisfied that he would get paid one way or the other.

Sorry the Chapter is so short. Writing another one already.


	3. house calls

She woke to the sound of rain pattering on the hull of the ship sounding like a grand symphony just for her ears. Tilting her head to the side all she could hear was the rain and the muffled sound of her hair scratching on the pillow. Her eyes focused on the wall across from the sleeping bunk, she warily counted the rivets holding the plating to the inside of the hull

.

"One…two….three"…she said quietly to no one in particular. She moved to flip over on to her back, but decided very quickly that doing so was a terrible idea. Every muscle in her chest felt as if she had taken a beating, no several she corrected herself. Where the fuck was she? Thinking very quickly and biting back the panic that was making its home in her gut. Doctor… she ran through the events right before she lost consciousness. Sleepily she took inventory of herself.

"Two legs, Two arms, I can think," she said quietly, " so I know I'm awake, unless I'm dreaming and I'm asleep." She began to become alarmed, but the feeling of the bed was wonderful, her back was warm and leaning up against what felt like a heated rock. Heated rock? That made no sense even to her. There were no heated rocks that were made to fit into beds…she shook her head violently trying to clear it.

Riddick had been lying on his side watching the proceedings with great amusement. After he had carried her back to the ship he had put her into his sleeping bunk when he noticed the icy feeling of her skin and her staccato heartbeat. Being a fairly apt student of the human body he recognized her symptoms as the first signs of shock. The normal procedure would be to administer fluid and keep the patient awake and warm. Awake was not going to happen for some time and he would be damned if he was going to try to pry her mouth open. The warm part was doable. He had pulled off the bloody sheet he used to wrap her in and stripped her of the gory shirt and cargos she was wearing. As carefully as he could he had placed her under the blankets and slid in next to her pulling her back to his chest. Wrapping a protective arm around her. In minutes he was asleep, waking periodically when she would whimper or lash out in her sleep yelling something profane. With her first stirrings he had propped himself up on one arm and stared down onto her profile watching the different emotions as they swam over her face.

"Riddick, why in the fuck are you in the bed with me?" She asked rather calmly.

"Shock. You were going into it after surgery. Had to warm you up." He said in a lewd grumble.

"Leme up." she commanded.

He moved his arm slowly. Placing it along side his body.

She sprung upright. Flinching at the pain in her chest as the muscles screamed at her.

Pulling herself up by one of the railings on the side of the bed she stood and looked down at her self.

"And I'm stark nude because?"

"Your clothes were a mess." Riddick said matter of factly his eyes roving over her supple alabaster body.

"Stop leering at me like that Riddick." She said, the first stirrings of anger in her voice.

"Like what?" he said feigning innocence.

"Like you want to eat me."

"Maybe I do." he said sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

She turned and walked out the room, her dark hair trailing like a banner behind her.

Riddick raised an eyebrow when he heard her rummaging through the overhead compartment in the hall.

"Where you goin Wylie?"

"Out." She said flatly. The sound of her voice pinging off the hallway walls.

"To where?"...Damn him! she thought, he sounds amused.

"Foraging." She said as she passed back into the room. She had donned one of Riddicks black tanks and a pair of exercise pants that appeared to be two sizes too big for her. She leaned down tearing a strip of cloth off the discarded cargos at the foot of the bed and tied her hair back with it. She strolled back down into the hallway grabbing her glasses off the counter in the bathroom. Riddick looked up from the bed as her shadow darkened the room.

"Be back in a few." Was all she said as she turned and walked to the back of the ship. Riddick could hear her hit the lock on the cargo door and her footsteps fade out of range. He lay down, rolled over and in minutes was sound asleep.

……………………………….............................................................................................................

Downtown Lorman was a Cesspit, a sty, a world of its own on the brink of pandemonium. The heart of it all was Sinti Square. That's where all the real black-market trading went down, thousands of credits moved through this three block radius with out so much as a single planetary tax.

The powers that be would roll over in their graves Wylie thought. She looked down the street. There was riotous color every where and the din of humanity rang in her ears as the peddlers hawked their wares on every available space. Stepping out of the street she let a foot cab pass with a splash of oil slicked water landing on her pants.

"What is it with this place?" she said disdainfully to no one at all. "I can't keep my fucking clothes clean for a second."

She moved seamlessly through the crowd, no one giving her problems or even noticing her. She looked just a poor as the next person. Spying what she was looking for in the back pocket of an portly man at a food vender. She slowly walked over to him, brushing up against him… one of the oldest tricks in the book she thought as she sped off into the crowd. Stopping at an account terminal she waved the credit chip over the scan screen. She looked at the total and whistled approvingly.

"Shit." She said, "if I had this kind of money id be fat too." She gave herself a mental pat on the back knowing the chip contained enough credits to get what she needed.

……………………………….........................................................

Fifteen minutes later and six thousand credits shorter Wylie was on one of the side streets bartering with a malodorous woman about a bar of soap.

"No, you give me fifty credits'" the woman argued. "It good soap".

Wylie raised her eyebrow wondering of the quality of soap when its owner smelled so strongly of unwashed body.

"Ill give you twenty five." " It's my last offer." She said leaning over the makeshift table covered in different assorted soap bars.

"Ok, ok." The woman said holding up her hands looking obviously beaten. Wylie plunked down the chip and watched the woman turn to transfer the money to her account.

"You hear Riddick's been sighted?"

The sound of the voice turned her attention to a pair of grubby looking men at the next table over. She fought the urge to whip around look at them. Instead, she tilted her head to hear their conversation better.

"Yeah," the one said to the other. "The doc who runs the makeshift slaughter house of a surgery over in the complex filled the report earlier today."

"I give it two days before this place is crawlin with merks."

"Too bad, I was hopin to see local talent take em down."

"Still might." The other one said. "He's probably hidin out in one of the dives around this place."

Wylie lost track of the conversation as they strolled away from the table.

"Shit." she said out loud grabbing the bar of soap and her pilfered credit chip from the soap vendor. She stuck the soap in her bag with the other purchase's and rounded the corner, heading back to the ship as fast as she could.

………………………………..................................................................

Passing through the gate of the docking bay compound she came to a halt in front of bay five. It was empty. The ship was gone; she quickly paced the length of the field stopping at each of the docking bays looking at the ships. She had made two passes before she was reasonably sure that Riddick, in typical Riddick style had stranded her there.

"Fuck." She pushed out. Putting her bag down at her feet and walking over to the empty bay. She looked down at the asphalt noting that the outline of the ship was still dry. Knowing that it had sprinkled on and off while she was in Sinti Square let her know that she had most probably just missed him. She shrugged picking up the bags and walked back out of the compound gate. Back into town and to the first bar or motel she ran into. Not necessarily in that order.

As luck would have it she found both. A bar with a hotel above it. She walked into the shabby lobby and plunked the chip down on the front desk. Looking around while the clerk took his time getting to her.

"In from out of town?" The clerk asked eyeing her warily.

She gave him her best "I'm really dumb and helpless smile." "No, I'm just waiting for my husband to meet me." She said doing her level best to look sheepish

"Huh." The clerk grunted pushing the chip and a set of keys over the counter at her. "Room 314 up three flights of stairs, second door on the left."

……………………………….................................................

Entering her room became a whole new experience in objectionable smells. She placed the bag on the moldering bed. God this room stank she thought. Mold had begun to run down the wall from the steady drip of the air handler unit, the carpet was stained in black patches, most likely dried blood, she thought to herself and the bed, god she didn't even want to think of that. Thank god she wasn't going to stay the night. Just a place to whole up, shower, change clothes and head out.

The thought of the night to come had already filled her with a frenzied excitement. She was going to pay a visit to the good doctor. She doubted he would enjoy it half as much as she did.

She flipped the bag over pulling out several articles of clothing, a pair of boots, six assorted knives all smaller than the palm of your hand, carving knives really, she thought touching them with reverence. A big blade. This one as long as your forearm with a wickedly curving edge to it, a bar of soap, a thumb detonator complete with timer, and one human eye in saline solution.

She held up the eye flicking the glass vile it was in. Watching the gray green iris slowly rotate towards her. She hadn't bought this parcel in her bag, no she thought to herself. It was from one of the doctor's good patients. One that had been unlucky enough to meet with her right after the purchase of her knives. Apparently he liked to share lots of information with complete strangers. He came away from their brief interlude missing one eye and a couple pints short of blood. But, what was a girl to do? She wouldn't let what happened to her go unanswered. And the fact that he had turned on Riddick made the whole idea that much sweeter.

Two hours later she pushed the biggest of the knives into her knee high boot and adjusted the white thigh high stocking over it. She looked in the cracked, full length mirror knowing the perfect words to describe herself. Lure. Innocent. Harmless. She smoothed her hands down over the black on black plaid skirt. Turning slowly in the mirror she bent over. The skirt was short enough to cover her ass but not much else. The boots were black as well. Sixteen buckles in all marched up her muscular calves, with a platform heel giving her hips a certain sway when she walked. The shirt was white, tight and almost see through. Looking in the mirror she undid three of the buttons letting the edge of her bra and her ample cleavage show. She adjusted the black tie around her neck making room for the v of her shirt. Stepping back she admired the view.

"I look like a very naughty school girl." She said laughing. She pulled her long dark tresses into pony tails and tied a piece of black ribbon around each to complete the look.

"A little liner, little gloss and I'm ready for action." she said to her reflection.

She stepped out onto the stinking street watching the night fog run its fingers around the buildings. She leaned over and hailed a foot cab stepping into it and showing a long line of leg to anyone who was close enough to see it. She leaned over wet her lips, and whispered an address into the cabbies ear. He took off heading down the dark street the dim illumination of his lantern bathing its surroundings in sickly pale light.

Riddick moved from behind the building and started after the cab. He knew where she was goin. His pace was unhurried as he thought of how she looked as she stepped out of the hotel doors. Sex on legs. That would be an adequate description. He flashed back to her stepping up into the cab. As if her body wasn't enough to draw attention to her, she had gone the extra mile tonight. Short pleated black skirt, white button down dress shirt that you could see her rings through, and a pair of boots that gripped her muscular legs. Not to mention the pony tails. Riddick grinned knowingly with the thought of what he could use them for.

………………………………..............................................................................

She stepped up in front of the door of number 47B and waited patiently. The alcove popped open and the retinal scans voice jabbered on. She reached inside her bag pulling out the glass tube and poured the eye into her hand. It made a meaty plop as she closed her hand around the slick orb turning the eye slowly. She placed it up against the scan as the red beam moved left to right.

Bradley, John, R. the voice acknowledged as the door popped open.

Wylie looked at the eye. "So that's your name?" She tossed the eye up and caught it in her hand placing it back into the jar. "Come on Bradley. Lots of work to do." She said as she pulled the door open and stepped inside.

She stood quietly for a moment hearing the gentle whirr of the air unit. She sniffed, smelling antiseptic, blood and food.

"Bradley?" A small voice said down the hall.

"Is that you?" The Doc rounded the corner; he couldn't see her standing there. The light was too dim. "Bradley what brings you here at this time of night? Are you hurt?" For a moment she felt a pang of regret. He sounded sincerely worried about Bradley. She pushed it away wondering if she should throw the eye at his feet now or wait till later. Naaaah… she thought. Ill save it. Nothing like a friends body part to strike a little righteous fear into people.

"Hello there Doctor." Wylie replied huskily as she sauntered over to him putting a little extra sway into her step.

"You." He replied accusingly.

"Me." she said running her fingers over the twin mounds of her breasts. She pushed up against him and giggled. Reaching down she cupped him through the thin material of his pajama bottoms.

"I came back to pay you what I owe you." She said seriously looking him in the eye. "Why don't we go back into that surgery of yours and let me give you a little compensation for all that hard work."

"Riddick said you don't do favors."

She put a finger to his lips. "Shhhh…Riddick is just jealous. He knows he can't have me but you" …she said letting the question hang in mid air as she looked him over.

"Have I ever told you I find doctors extremely sexy?" She stated with a tilt of her head.

He turned grabbing her hand and leading her down the hall. Too bad she thought. It's going to be so easy, like taking candy from a baby. It's a shame really, that god gave men two heads and only enough blood to think with one at a time she quipped to herself.

He pushed open the door of the surgery and turned to kiss her.

"Ah, ah ah,…" she said wagging a finger at him.

"Why don't you lie up there on the table and let me do the work?"

Meekly he responded moving to the table. He stretched out on it.

Wylie walked over pulling his shirt off and tossing it over her shoulder.

"Mind if I put these on?" she asked quietly as she pointed to the restraints.

He shook his head, lust glazing his eyes.

"Good." she said clapping the restraints on his arms and legs. She vaulted on top of him straddling him with ease. She set her bag on his stomach, patted his cheek and smiled warmly at him.

Wylie looked down, smoothing the pleats of her skirt. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a leather roll similar to the ones painters use. She tossed the bag to the side spreading out the roll carefully over his stomach. There were sixteen pockets in all. Each with its own wickedly sharp knife. She pulled out one testing the sharpness against her thumb. It was more for theatrics than anything. She saw the fear slide into his eyes as she hissed; a thin crimson line spreading over the pad of her thumb.

She leaned in close to his face. "Do you know what a sadist is doctor?" She asked quietly her voice full of malice.

"It's someone who enjoys inflicting pain on others." He said squirming against the restraints.

"That's exactly right doctor. And I think you and I have more in common then I first assumed."

"Please don't hurt me." He squeaked out as she moved the blade closer to his skin.

"Hurt you? Nah," she said with a wave of her hand. "Now this fella," She chuckled as she reached next to her body lifting the jar with the eye in it. She uncorked the receptacle with an audible pop, slowly pouring the orb into her hand. "This guy I hurt". She said in a threateningly low voice. She put the eye on his chest where his eyes rolled down to look at it." Recognize it?" She asked.

"You! Fuck! You! Fuck!" Doc said shrilly as he struggled bodily to get the eye off his chest.

"Yes I do." She said thoughtfully. "But I really don't think bringing up if I get laid, or not has anything to do with the topic at hand". "So, I'm guessing you recognize who the eye is from." She stated sarcastically. "What you should be interested about is whether he was dead before or after I took the eye out." She said quietly as if she were sharing a secret.

He whimpered quietly to himself. Knowing now that mommy and daddy were liars, that monsters were real and one was leaning over him right now.

She made a superficial cut. Sinking the razor edge of the blade into his skin. She used her thumb and gripped the flesh against the blade, pulling across his chest towards his armpit. The flesh came away in awkward ribbons making a faint ripping sound. He bucked against her as she watched pin pricks of blood well up on the raw surface.

"Did you know that there are six layers of epidermis skin on the human body doctor?" She said dragging the blade of the knife to the opposite side of his chest. She produced the same shallow cut. "And I intend on seeing every one of them." She leaned down and planted a light kiss between his eyes as she pulled off the second piece of skin.

By the time Riddick reached the apartment he could hear a high keening sound coming from inside. He stepped in carefully and moved down the hallway soundlessly. Pushing open the door of the surgery quietly he took in the scene laid out before him. She was straddling the doc all right. The edge of the skirt riding up over her hips. She had already removed her shirt. It hung like a second skin over a chair in the far corner of the room. He could see the muscles in her back working, tugging at something. He took in a deep breath. The room smelled of fear, that and blood. Her deft hand moved to the side of the table letting a piece of flesh fall to the floor with a wet slap. The blade of the small knife glimmered dully when she moved her arm back towards Doc's body.

He had two thoughts simultaneously the first being shock, God. She's skinning him alive. The second, that he loved to see a craftsperson at work.

She leaned in closer to the keening animal beneath her. He stopped being a person about fifteen minutes into her ministrations. What was left was a sorry shell of a human, a whining pleading thing, a simpering crawling worm. She looked down with distain.

"And I thought you would have lasted a little longer than this." She took her hand and pinched the raw bloody muscle of his cheek. Pulling his lipless flesh away from his mouth in a sad parody of a grin. His eyes opened wider, tears running down his face and stinging the raw flesh below. She leaned in closer to him. The tip of the blade reflecting like a captive star in his eye.

"You know," she said quietly. "They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul. I wonder what yours say about you?"

Riddick saw her muscled arm draw back, saw the silver streak of the blade as it plunged home. The doc's feet thrummed underneath her body, moving in its last throws of death. Riddick turned and walked from the room into the quiet street below.

……………………………….................................................................................................

Wylie hopped down off the table, vaguely disappointed that he didn't last longer. She walked over to the bag rummaging trough it and coming up with a bar of soap. Moving over to the faucet she turned it on letting the scalding water fill the bottom of the basin. She leaned over the now cooling remains of the doctor and grabbed one of her knives out of the leather satchel. Picking the one with a tip similar to an ice pick she moved the edge around the socket of his eye dislodging the sphere with a wet pop. She pressed her fingers to the orifice, tugging on the eye gently causing it to tumble into her palm. She set the eye with its trailing optical cord next to the sink. As she lathered the soap on to her hands and up her arms she mused quietly. I guess I did hurt him. She shrugged watching as the blood and bits of gore swirled down the drain when she pulled the plug. Reaching over she calmly patted herself dry and grabbed the shirt off the back of the chair. She slipped it on leaving the first three buttons undone. Moving efficiently she rolled up her leather clad knife set and dropped it into her bag.

The med cabinet gained her attention next. She opened the glass doors looking through the bottles until she found it. Either. Highly flammable. Perfect catalyst for any fiery explosion. She uncorked the bottle pouring its contents over the remains and dousing anything in sight. She moved to the sink carefully putting her soap into her bag and scooped up the eye.

As she walked through the apartment she pressed the thumb detonator on the outside of the bedroom door. She threw the switch listening to the high pitched whistle that signified the explosive was armed.

Carefully she walked out of the apartment closing the door quietly behind her. She moved down the steps and quickly out into the street, moving her arm behind her she depressed the ignition button.

There was a hushed quiet right before the explosion, as if the buildings surrounding this one were holding their breath.

Riddick saw her coming across the street. She looks like something out of a porn magazine he thought to himself. All sweat, violence, and skin tight clothes. Her movement had never been more seductive, he noted her swaying hips and the skirt slithering around her thighs, the look on her face, angelic, as if the horrors in that room hadn't even touched her. He had never been more compelled by someone, he had never been this turned on by just watching some one walking. But there she was. Sauntering up the street, death with an angels face.

The explosion sent the alley way into stark white contrast, causing Riddick to move his hands over his eyes even with the goggles on. Wylie had heard the rumbling of the explosion and started to cross the street in an all out run. She was looking behind her when she hit something solid knocking her flat on her ass.

"Very uncivilized thing you did back there Wylie." Riddick growled angrily. "He was my kill, mine."

She scouled up at him from the ground. "Angry that I got there first? "I had as much fucking reason as you did. Did you know he turned us in to the merks?" She spat at him.

"Yep." Riddick said. "They tried to come on the ship while you were gone. That's why I moved it. I came back into town looking for you."

"You came back for me?" She looked surprised, letting down her guard. A moment of weakness.

"Don't make anything outta it." Riddick said broodingly.

"Look I brought you a souvenir." she said sweetly and tossed something at Riddick as she stood from the street.

He reacted quickly grabbing it in his hand. He turned his had over feeling something slick and cold in it. Slowly he opened his hand looking down into it. It was doc's eye.

She stood next to him looking down into his hand. "He had no soul at all." She said quietly." I could see it in his eyes."

She slowly turned and walked off down the dark street.

Riddick looked after her. She had just killed the only doctor that he thought he could trust. God she was a pain in his ass. He was really beginning to like her.


	4. intermission

They walked down the street in companionable silence for a few blocks. Each knowing what the other was thinking. The heat hung between them in the sodden air.  
  
"So Riddick, Wanna go for a drink?"  
  
"What I want is to go back to the ship and leave." He grumbled.  
  
"Come on." She said. "It will do you good to get out. Besides I'm all dressed up with no place to go. Drinks are on me." She said waving the credit chip in front of him.   
  
Riddick grabbed her shoving her against the wall. "I don't think you have taken the seriousness of the situation into consideration. In minutes every nickel-slick cop and merk will be down this street looking for us."  
  
She blew out a breath. "Every cop and merk will be climbing over the wreckage of that building looking for clues to link the crime with someone. Its gonna take them weeks just to scrape the fuckers body off the table. Everyone will be way too preoccupied with the horror of the "crime" to be searching for us. Do you really thick I take things lightly? That I think this is all a game? Do you honestly think I fucking enjoyed what I did back there?"  
  
" I think you did." Riddick said.  
  
"Yeah maybe I did a little." she leveled with her self. "But, that was revenge not survival." She said caustically.  
  
"The difference being?"  
  
"There are a whole separate set of rules for both Riddick. You know that. So if you wanna hide out in your ship while we are on this rock fine, but I'm going for a drink. You know its sad Riddick, you spend so much time dyin that you forget to live."  
  
"And what? Keeping myself alive and outta the slam is trivial?"  
  
"No, that's not what I'm sayin. But my life has been forfeit for a long time. If I die I die. It's that simple. I refuse to stop livin cause I'm scared of dyin."  
  
She slid from behind Riddick and walked a few steps. "You comin or what?"  
  
………………………………...........................................................................  
  
The bar was known as the snake pit. At least that's what the glowing neon sign said above the entrance. They walked in through the double door looking for a table. She pointed one out at the back of the bar in a dark corner.   
  
"Meet you over there." she said.  
  
She moved to the bar wedging herself between two miners arguing over some union politics. Rising a hand she motioned the bartender over.   
  
"Two shots of Vestivuian black label, two beers and a pack of cigs."  
  
"Vestuvian is the best we got in the house, got enough to pay for it?" The bartender asked suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah,." She grumbled throwing the chip on the bar.  
  
The bartender's eyes lit up. "What kind of cigs? I got regs, uranium's and canis."  
  
"Any Lacertias?" She asked.  
  
"Yep got em". He said. "For such a young thing you sure got expensive taste."   
  
"What can I say? It's all in my mouth."  
  
The bartender pushed the drinks across the bar with the pack of ciggs. He grabbed her chip.   
  
"Want me to run a tab?" He asked, holding up her chip.  
  
"Nope." She said. "Cash me out".  
  
He turned shrugging. Wylie looked down to the pack of Lacertias and mumbled to herself. Not the best but, they'll do. She would of preferred her normal Vestiuvian's she smoked but hey, this dive at least had good booze. She smacked the pack against the bar causing the hardened plexi coat to shatter. Reaching in she grabbed a cig, stuck it in her mouth and lit it. She sighed relishing the feeling of the fine tobacco sliding into her lungs. The bartender handed her the chip and she put it between her teeth, the cig jutting out of the side of her mouth. Grabbing up the drinks she walked over to the table.  
  
Pulling out a stool she noted the space trash currently perched on Riddicks lap.  
  
She pulled in a drag of cigarette, causing the cherry to glow red. Picking up the beer she pointed the neck of the bottle towards him.  
  
"Friend of yours?" She asked cattily. Taking a swig.  
  
Wylie looked up at the whore on his lap, lank blonde hair, pockmarked face and sunken eyes. Her body wasn't much to look at either. Rail thin legs jutted out from underneath a ratty skirt like dry twigs, her less than ample cleavage was shoved up in a mock corset that she was currently trying to rub into Riddicks face. She kissed him on the cheek smearing her greasy lipstick across it.  
  
Wylie could feel the anger welling up into her throat. She fought to keep it off her face.  
  
"Who's the bitch?" The whore asked Riddick.  
  
She's gonna die. Wylie thought to herself.  
  
Riddick laughed and whispered something into her ear looking over the whore's scrawny shoulder and into in to Wylie's eyes.  
  
She's really gonna die she thought again. Pulling deeply on her cig and leaning forward blowing the smoke into the whores face.  
  
She coughed looking at Wylie. "You know," she said, "you are the rudest bitch I've met in a long time." She turned back to Riddick running her hand over his head. "She can watch if she wants to. I'll even do you for free."  
  
Wylie reached over the table grabbing a handful of the lank greasy hair and yanking on it hard enough to peel the whore off of Riddick. The back of her head hit the table top with enough force to cause the bottles on it to shimmy.  
  
"I'm more of a doer than a watcher." Wylie said pulling her glasses back off her face and staring down into the whores hollow eyes. "How about this?" She said the last through clenched teeth making it sound like a hiss. She reached into her boot pulling out the long lethal blade and placing it to the whores' neck. "I do you for free." She tilted her head to the side, her anger vibrating through the muscles of her arms. "I'm sure there has got to be some kind of medal, award, trophy whatever for disposing of nasty skanks." She released the hair wiping the oil on the side of her skirt.   
  
Wylie watched amused as the whore skittered from the tabletop off into the darkness.   
  
"See ya round." She called over her shoulder watching her bony ass disappear into the crowd. She leaned back into the chair propping her feet up on the top of the table looking smug.  
  
"Jealous?" Riddick looked over at her his eyebrow raised.  
  
"Drink your beer Riddick." She said coldly. Rocking the chair back to the floor.  
  
She took another drag on her cigarette and flicked it to the floor grinding it out under the heel of her boot.   
  
Riddick held up the shot glass sniffing it tentatively. "Vestuvian?" He asked looking at her.  
  
"Yup." She said picking up her shot glass. "Good stuff even if it does have a bite."  
  
He threw back the shot grimacing as he swallowed.   
  
"Come on" She said . "It's not that bad." She took her shot swallowing and turned the glass upside down onto the scarred tabletop.   
  
"Did it bother you?" Riddick asked looking across the table.   
  
"Did what bother me?"  
  
"What happened today with the Doc?"  
  
"Honestly? Yes and no. it bothered me to find out how much my uncle had warped me, how much I enjoyed it. No because all I could think of was his warm flesh running underneath that cold blade. It was like a part of my mind shut off and the part that emerged scared the shit out of me. I've killed before; hell I've done it for survival."   
  
"Were all animals on the inside." Riddick growled.  
  
"But I skinned him alive!" She cried. "I pulled him apart piece by piece, and I enjoyed every minute of it. And when he cried, I could feel the rage in me grow stronger. I wanted to tear, to rend, to rip him apart in to little fucking pieces and bathe in the glory of his blood running over me. For once in my life, I was totally at peace."  
  
"So now you understand." Riddick said quietly  
  
"Understand what?"  
  
"Why I do what I do. It's more than survival." He ground out. "It's a part of me that revels in the carnage, which pulls on the chains to be let free. That once its unleashed, kill's until no one is standing."  
  
She looked up from him. A tear sliding from the corner of her eye. "I've become my uncle." She cried. "The monster, it's in me."  
  
"The monster is in everyone sister. The question is, you got enough balls to control it?"  
  
He leaned over grabbing a beer and gulped it down. He winked at her. "Welcome to my side of the fence, it's scary over here. But at least it's never boring."  
  
Sorry about the length of the chapter. More on the way. 


	5. its all in the eyes

Slam, another name for a hole. One that society sticks its dead in. Problem is, they don't know their dead yet. The humanity slips first. There are a thousand ways to loose it in slam each one as shitty as the next. The endless night is the worst, no day, no twilight, and no dawn. Just dark. And the screams. Most days that's all there is to mark the passing of the time. The shouts of the other cons become your personal clock. And then there are the guards, the sick fucks that come by once in a while to rattle the bars on your cage and make sure you haven't ghosted yourself between shifts. The dark, yeah. That's what causes your human to die. Crying inside while the animal in you eats him slowly. Or quickly. It's all relative. You become numb to it all really. The fights, beatings and rape. Rape. That final jump into the abyss. Just part of the deal. Unpleasant like the slop they feed you or the toilet paper that leaves splinters in your ass. Everyone in slam has gotten it. No matter who tells you what. It happens to us all. The simple fact is that you can go two ways afterwards. You can fight and make some asshole think twice about stickin his cock anywhere near you or you can give in, become someone's little bitch. It's all the same in the end. The weak prey on the strong; the strong survive and become the big monsters. Problem is, there is all ways gonna be some fuck stronger than you. Someone looking to take you down grind ya, make you squeal. Survival of the fittest. King of the motherfuckng hill.

I've never met anyone who was released from slam. Guess civilized people don't want the human animal out on the street. Civilized. There's a word for you. Means weak. Soft. Easy. Prey. I suppose if one of us fucks could really carry on a sentence with some one, or cared to, after we got out it would probably be an interesting fucking story. But the public can't handle it. The monsters we've become, prayin on each other behind the nice, thick, safe walls of a slam. Far, far away from civilized society. Outa site outa mind. Seems to be why we gravitate towards each other. No one else but a con could understand. The world to "normal" people is such a pretty place full of ideals and safety nets, with the assurance that the sun will rise in the morning followed by its set at dusk, that if they are meek little lambs and serve their god, he will be good to them. We in the slam know. There is no assurance. And that god may be there, but he's too busy stroking his dick to think of any of the ants down here. Or see that his servants have broken out the fucking magnifying glasses and are burning us one by one in the concentrated lights. Yeah, god the great masturbator. Hell, if I was god I'd do it too.

Riddick chuckled quietly to himself at the thought of a masturbating deity.

He stood up off the bunk trying to quiet the monologue in his head. Seems whenever he got plowed the little voice decided to kick in narrating all the stupid meaningless shit he thought of. There seemed to be a lot of it lately. Meaningless shit that is.

"Quite the philosopher aren't you Riddick?" He asked himself as he rounded the corner of the hallway and headed to the front of the ship.

Looking into the aft cabin he saw her legs propped up on the control panel, the skirt was inching its way towards her panty line he thought giving him a perfect view of her long muscular legs. She had pulled out the pony tails letting her dark hair frame her face. Her eyes were shut. She had the chair reclined, looking as if she were sleeping deeply. He knew better. She was like a cat. The illusion of sleep was there, the eyes were closed, but the other senses were all up and running. She could probably hear him when he stood off the bed. A few more footsteps and she probably already smelled him. She could tell even with her eyes closed that he was standing there. Instead of finding that scary, he found it vaguely comforting knowing that someone as good as him if not better was keeping watch. Even if her eyes were closed.

"Hello Riddick. You were supsto be sleeping." She said with a vague smile.

"Couldn't. Too much on the brain. It has a mind of its own."

"Whatcha thinking so hard about?" She said looking at him, her eyes half open

"How do you know I was thinking hard about anything?"

"You're breathing; you stayed awake the whole time you were in there. There might have been a few minutes where you catnapped, but you never really dropped off." She crossed her arms over her head looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Thinkin about the slam, about people in it. Cons. You still got this heap on course?"

"Yep." She said lazily. "Its not rocket science you know."

"Why are you still awake?" Riddick asked sitting in the chair opposite her.

"Thinkin," she said. "Wonderin if I should of let em live. If I'll remember his screams the rest of my life. Or will they fade, like all the rest did. Just becoming a stream of disembodied voices in my head, runnin over and over like a loop. Just one of the many, the masses. Or at the end of my life, will I look back on the memory and smile."

" Would hope you would smile." He grumbled. "That was quite a piece of work you did back there."

She sighed. "I could call it work, but I think at the time I was havin too much fun. It's the reflection shit that gets me. My human mind is recoiling in horror now that it has clicked back on. Damn humanity." She grumbled sarcastically.

She swiveled the chair towards the wall of the cabin smacking a closed compartment with her fist. It opened slowly squealing. She reached in moving her hand around and produced a bottle of Vestuvian black label. Placing it in her lap she pulled the cork out with her teeth and spit it neatly in the palm of her hand. Tilting the bottle back she took a long swig, the muscles of her slender throat working to swallow. She pulled the bottle from her lips and wiped them with the back of her hand.

"Want some?" She asked tilting the bottle towards Riddick.

He shook his head. "That's what I hear about you Vestivuain's; you love your drink and your smokes."

She looked at him pulling her lighter from her cigarette. "Yeah, well, you ever seen a drunken Vestuvian?"

Riddick tilted his head. "Never met one before you."

"Were few and far between." She said quietly pulling on her cigg. "I don't really think I've seen one in deep space, or at any of the outposts that I've stopped in as a matter of fact."

"How can you tell? You look like anyone else." Riddick said grumbling

She looked at him, mock horror on her face. "Vestivuians are all gorgeous. Not an ugly person on the planet." She said jokingly. "Besides, I'm under the impression that you don't do a lot of hand shaking when you dock your ship." She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes grabbing the cig and tossing it to the ground; she crushed it with her boot.

She turned, re corking the bottle and placing it back in the compartment, closing it with a loud squeak. She turned to face Riddick the hem of the skirt inching up as she did. She stood slowly from the chair, pulling at the hem of the skirt nervously. She turned and walked slowly towards the back of the ship.

" I'm off she said quietly, gonna try to lay down, get some sleep." She said over her shoulder

"Come. Here." Riddicks voice grumbled.

Wylie sighed and turned slowly walking back to the captains' chair resting her hands on the back of it.

"No, here." Riddick pointed to the front of the chair his gaze fixed out the window. She sighted inwardly. Whatever game Riddick was playing she hoped he finished quickly. She was tired.

She moved to stand at the front of the chair. Feeling like an idiot for listening to him. Riddick looked up at her his cold eyes reflecting the colors of the blinking sensor lights, blue, red, back to blue again. He pulled his goggles off the top of his head and tossed them on the control panel

Riddick leaned over putting his arm behind her knees and rocking back causing her knees to buckle as he pulled her into her lap.

He pulled her close to his face staring at her. Saying nothing, He tilted his head to the side

"You know your eyes give you away."

"What?"

He shook his head grabbing the back of her neck and yanking her forward raking his lips over hers. The kiss was full of probing tongues and bruising force. She felt as if he were trying to eat her. He leaned back pulling out her lip with his teeth.

"Go to bed." He said huskily as he moved his large hands over the curve of her ass.

"Not sleepy." She said placing a leg on either side of him through the arm rests, straddling him.

He grabbed her muscular thighs running his hands up their length. "You know what's going to happen if you stay here." The warning was clear.

"I'm a little confused on the whole subject Riddick." She said sarcastically. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

He stared at her, his gaze full of heat. Riddick grasped her thighs and pulled, crushing her crotch against his. His voice grumbled.

"I'm going to fuck you." He said staring right into her eyes. "And no amount of pleading, bravado, or simpering is going to stop me."

She nodded. "Understood."

His eyes glinted wildly in the dim light.

"Your choice." He said almost whispering. He moved with a speed that took her breath away. Wrapping his hand into her long hair and jerking back on it causing her head to snap back and baring her neck. His other hand moved to the buttons on her shirt tugging roughly on it causing them to ping back into the darkness of the hull.

" Nice." He said through his clenched teeth the heat still in his gaze as he moved his eyes lower to her bared breasts. He moved his hand under one of them cupping it and running the pad of his thumb across the nipple. She shuddered trying to pull her head up. Riddick pulled harder on her hair causing her back to arch and her breasts to jut forward. He yanked on her hair again causing her to double over herself laying prone in his lap. Relinquishing his grip on her hair he could feel it snake into a pool at his feet, brushing against the hem of his pants. He idly ran his fingers down her ribs to the hollow of her stomach and found the steel barbell in her navel; he lightly flicked it with his finger. Sliding the pads of his fingers to the waistband of her skirt and stroking gently there. Riddick leaned forward running the tip of his tongue to her navel and laving it.

"You know," he said growling. "When I was in slam I would find people in dark corners making love, fucking whatever."

He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "They would hide where they thought no one could see, sept for me. Not much to do in the slam so I'd watch. And do you know what they looked like?"

He asked no one in particular.

"They would glow."

He leaned over on to her speaking quietly on her stomach. His lips rasping against the flesh there.

"I was always secretly jealous of them, basking in the light they couldn't even see. I wonder if you will glow. Will I… or will it be both of us?"

He pulled her up by the shoulders, watching her hair spill around her face in a dark cloud. God she was beautiful he thought taking in her features, her shining eyes, high cheek bones and pouting lips. He ran his hands under her shirt down to her ass and cupped it standing, forcing her weight against him.

"Where we goin?" she said sleepily.

"The first place I can find." He said whispering in her ear. Biting down on her earlobe

The comm in the cabin chose that exact moment to come to squawking life.

"Shadow Sun. do you copy? This is Rigel 5. We have found your ship to be harboring fugitives, prepare for immediate boarding."

There was a dull thud to the outside of the ship and the view of the stars in the cockpit window began to slide in the wrong direction.

"Fuck." Riddick bellowed as he let Wylie drop to her feet and ran for the controls.


	6. All The Chips

Just wanted to give a quick thanks to Tony, Mike and Brian for giving me support. Thanks guys.

..................................................................................................................................

Wylie stood in the middle of the ship stunned. Riddick had dropped her and was at the helm cursing profusely. His big arms knotted with tense muscles, his face drawn in concentration.

"Were fucked," he announced.

"The have already latched on to us and are pullin us in."

He looked over at Wylie, taking in the haggard look on her face.

"They wont try to board till they have us in the bay of the ship. Might buy us some time." He said as the ship lurched to its starboard side. He looked down at the side scan screen as he held on to the chair.

Wylie nodded. She reacted all at once; scurrying around into the hall almost loosing her footing as the ship lurched drunkenly to its side, the sound of screeching metal deafening. She reached the weapons closet throwing it open. Her hands moved quickly grabbing a Gaph Stick, a Plasma rifle and a Percussion Baton, she charged around the corner tossing the weapons into the unoccupied seat. Looking down she tied the ends of her shirt together, closing the gap in the front where her buttons used to be.

"There gonna take us back." She said with certainty. "Fuck." She cursed, "Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is bad, really bad."

"Understatement of the fuckin year." Riddick said looking over his shoulder.

Wylie looked onto the floor, spotting her bag that had slid underneath a stand for one of the air units. She bent down fishing for it. She pulled back with a grunt sitting on the floor and throwing the contents out of it.

"This is no time to look for goddamn make up." Riddick said sarcastically.

She shot him a dirty look. "Here." She tossed him her leather case with the knives in it.

Riddick caught it with ease. "Whadda you want me to do with these?"

"Keep em safe. I'll be back to get em. They better all be there."

Riddick shook his head. "How in the fuck am I gonna keep these safe? I'm in the same fucking ship with you."

"Yeah." She said knowingly. "I'm turning myself in." "You on the other hand are playing hide and go seek for a while."

"That's shit Wylie." Riddick said angrily. "I don't hide from no fuckin merks." "Never have, don't intend to now."

"Look, I can stall." "It will take em days to search the ventilation ducts in this heap." "Meanwhile, you can have plenty of time to do what you do best."

"And that is?" he asked.

"Stay in the shadows and take em down one by one. You can come and get me. I know you can. I'm strong Riddick but I'm not as good as you." He made a move to interrupt and she held her hand up. "Do you know how much this is costing me? I've never stepped down for anyone, never admitted that some one is better, faster or stronger than me. I've never put someone else's survival before mine I've never relied on anyone."

"Bad time to start now. You know I'm no fuckin hero." Riddick said coldly.

"Fine, escape, run whatever. I know that they won't kill me. My bounty is non negotiable. If I die no bounty. That affords me some leeway. You on the other hand," she said walking over to him and looking him strait in the eye, "can die and they will still get half of it. And seeing as you have been the preverbal boogieman for merks years on end their bound to get jumpy with the trigger. There not gonna take any chances with you Riddick.""I told you that I knew my life was forfeit. What's the worse they do smack me around? Cut me up?" She said standing face to face with him staring him right in the eye. "Rozemond is the final. The end. He will kill me. But I knew that from the start."

"I'm not hidin'." Riddick said.

"You got a better fuckin plan asshole?" she yelled. "What the fuck Riddick. Use your goddamn mind instead of your balls. No need to prove it to me. I know their big, round and brassy but what the fuck good is it going to do if both of us get caught? At least this way one of us lives."

"Why are you doing this?" He said slowly the confusion swam over his face.

"Consider it a life for a life." She said. "And no I'm not talkin about that shit for brains hack you took me to. I'm tradin in the chips." She looked down. Her face distorting with anger. "I'm talkin about bein 22, covered in your own blood and someone else's nut." She laughed bitterly. "Who am I kidding?" She began to yell. "My uncles. I'm talkin about having the shit beat out of ya every day and night crawlin on you hands and knees across the floor, your tongue so swollen by a bit that you cant even swallow. Your eyes sealed shut by the brusin and bein yanked around on a chain. Only to stand again and again being knocked back down. A cock thrust in your face. Three years of cuts, razors, rape, whipping, broken bones and having your body violated in so many ways that you've lost count. And do you know what kept me goin? Do ya?"

Riddick stared at her.

"Answer me you fuck."

"What?" Riddick ground out.

"You. You." She pointed at him. "The reports I read. The sightings. You became my savior so many times that I can't even count." She spit. "The fact that you escaped, that you got out. That you were alive. The hope, even a small one existed in me that if you could do it then so could I. So yeah Riddick you've saved my life with out even knowing it. Even trade."

"You know if the opportunity looks good and I have a chance to save my self I _will_ leave you…"

She stepped back as if someone had slapped her.

"Go." she said slowly.

Reaching down and plucking the plasma rifle out of the chair. She pointed it at him. "Go."

Riddick grabbed one of the weapons out of the chair and walked to the vent in the back of the cabin. He pulled the vent down forcefully and lifted himself into it. Closing it behind him.

She walked over to the compartment in the aft cabin grabbing the bottle of Vestuvian black label, pulling out the cork and spitting it on the floor. She walked over to the main power control of the ship Forcing open the steel door and pulling the breaker, plunging the ship into utter darkness. She lit a cigg took a deep drink out of the bottle, and walked to the cargo hold plasma rifle in hand.

………………………………...................................................................................

She stood there feeling the ship come to a jarring halt. Muffled voices outside clued her into the fact that there was probably five maybe six of them. She shifted her weight pulling on her cigg again.

"Let's get this tin can open." said one of the voices.

The cargo door shuddered and then cracked open, light pouring into the hold.

"Well, well, well, lookie what we got here." One of the merks said.

Wylie looked up squinting. "Hello there boys what took you so long?" She flicked the cig at their feet. One jumped back pulling the rifle up to met her.

"A little jumpy are we?" Her voice purred.

'Where's Riddick?' One asked.

She laughed throwing her head back. "Dead. I dumped his body on Lorman." She said coldly.

One of the merks eyed her suspiciously. "You killed Riddick?"

"Yup. He got on my nerves, way too cocky."

"It makes sense you know." One of the merks said. "I heard she didn't like that kind of action, that she preferred feminine company."

She glared at him. "Not that's its any of your business, but I'm strictly dickly. What can I say? I love the cock."

"I got all the cock you need baby." One of the merks quipped grabbing his crotch.

"You crusin for a piece of ass?" she asked leaning forward and giving them a glimpse of her cleavage.

One of the merks moved forward taking the bait.

"Hey there," one said. "She's already offed five merks maybe more. Don't get anywhere near her."

More like three she thought but, let them think whatever they want.

One of the merks from the back of the crew piped up. "I don't think this bitch really did Riddick, I think he's on the ship somewhere."

The merks advanced as a group. Wylie stood her ground.

"Clemons, check the ship one barked out."

The merk tried to shove past Wylie.

She whistled turning the merks attention towards her. Wylie took a mouthful out of the bottle. She reached into her back pocket slowly extracting a lighter. Leaning close to him she spit the mouthful straight into his eyes and sparked the lighter causing the alcohol to flare up on Clemons face. He screamed a high piteous sound. Wylie watched as the flesh of his face bubbled up and the smell of burning hair filled the ship. She turned quickly to pull her rifle but, it was too late, the butt end of a leaded asp caught her temple sending her spinning into blackness.

………………………………........................................................................

When she came to she was on her knees her hands tied behind her. She tried looking around her, moving her head but the small movement made her gag. Concussion she thought to herself. It was then that she came to another realization. She had a bit in her mouth. She worked at the corners of it trying to get the sharp edge away from the tender flesh in the crease of her mouth. She succeeded in causing a thin rivulet of warm blood to trickle into her tongue. She moved her head again, trying to get past the nausea

Shit she thought to herself trying to see. She realized that she was blindfolded. She tilted her head trying to hear something.

A familiar voice spoke into her ear making her jump. "I always said it's a pleasure to see a young woman on her knees."

Fuck she thought to herself. I'm in it deep.

"Leave us." The voice announced. She heard the sound of several feet moving towards a door. They closed it sending vibration through her knees.

"Well, it seems we have yet another family reunion. So happy to see you niece." He spat. "It's almost like the prodigal son returned home, back into the warm bosom of the family. I'm so glad that I could take the time out of my busy schedule at Vesta 5 to come out and hunt you down. You know getting leave from a slam position is a very difficult thing. But when they heard it was family well, they couldn't exactly tell me no could they?"

She could tell the fucker was smiling; his words always took on a funny edge when he tried to talk around a smile. She bowed her head trying to give the look of submissiveness.

"Do not try that shit on me girl." He said pulling her hair.

"I thought I had broken you sufficiently enough to stop you from running. But apparently I've been premature in my assumption. Believe me when I say that I will not make the same mistake twice. I have heard," he went on, "that you have been very busy indeed. Its been so easy to track you. The merks on Helion Prime carried your calling card. And the doctor on Lorman, what was left of him, did too. Tell me what could he of possibly of done to make you peel the flesh from his face? Oh, he quipped your wondering how I knew that? The fire burned the flesh, yes but it takes extraordinary heat to burn human bone. The medical examiner said that there was knife marks into his cranium, jaw and Vertebra one and two. A knife not longer than your hand did it he said. Probably a carving knife with a razor edge."

He paused. "I really didn't know that I had taught you so much. It's impressive really. Maybe I'll reconsider whether or not I want to use you as my toy again." He said thoughtfully.

She tried to tell him to shut the fuck up around the bit but it came out as muffled gibberish.

"Your reeducation begins now." He slapped the bruised side of her head with enough force to knock her over. She moved herself to her back pushing against the restraints to right herself.

'You dare defy me?" He asked yelling. He pulled his leg back kicking her square in the chin. She tilted her head to the side swallowing a mouthful of blood. She moved to upright herself again smiling at him with bloody teeth clamped around the bit.

"Please." he asked pleasantly. "Struggle. It makes the time I spend breaking the spirit out of you so much more enjoyable." He leaned down ripping the blindfold off her eyes. She squinted her eyes. The light in the room was dim. He had taken her eyes into consideration. She was scanning to find anything that could be of use. Behind Rozemond there was a large trunk her eyes landed on it and they widened.

"You didn't think I would forget my toy box did you?" He kneeled down in front of her grabbing a fistful of her long hair.

"Look at me!" He said snatching her head around. "Such pretty, pretty eyes. Like that of a wild beast, so feral, so untamed. I'll enjoy watching the light go out of them."

She glared at him the hatred plain in her expression.

Rozemond leaned down towards her face she took him in. no wonder I was scared of him when I was younger she thought to her self. He looked like a roman officer, a warrior. Black hair, tanned skin and aquiline features, some might even say handsome if you didn't know the sick fuck that was squirming to get out right beneath his skin.

He quickly removed the bit from her mouth. She worked her jaws getting them used to their new found freedom.

"I want to hear what you have to say for yourself." He stated quietly.

"Fuck you." She ground out licking the blood from the corner of her mouth.

'No, I think that's what I will be doing to you later." He snarled. The glint of anger in his eye. He reached down grabbing her chin in his hand.

"You have the look of your mother about you. You know what they say about Vestuvian pussy. It's always like the first time with them. Oh you didn't know?" He said smiling. "Your father wasn't a very good lover. At least that what your whore of a mother told me before she got pregnant. It's a shame really, ill never know if you were mine or his." He said looking at her. "Although I would like to think under my expert tutelage that you have become just like me."

She shut her eyes against him. Turning her head.

"Did you ever wonder why your father was so eager to test on his family? He didn't know if you children were really his." He said with a snort. "I would like to assume that since you survived that you were of my stock.

"Fucker." "You're a sick shit. Not bad enough that I was you're niece, you'd fuck you're own daughter."

He chuckled; "well all children need to learn respect."

He slowly moved his fingers from under her chin and ran them across her lips resting them there.

"So soft, such a pretty little thing, if I didn't know better I'd say that you had just turned seventeen or eighteen, but we know better don't we? He said quietly. "But we can always pretend hmmm?" He stroked his fingers across her lips again. She looked up to him and parted her lips taking his finger inside her warm mouth. She rolled the finger around with her tongue.

Rozemond sighed, "That's my girl."

She smiled looking up at him and with all the force she had in her mouth she bit down on the digit that was intruding there. She would have paid a million credits just to freeze the look on his face when she did it. She clamped down with her teeth feeling the warm blood jut into her mouth. She could fell the soft outer flesh ripping away and the tendons and bones popping,

Rozemond wrenched his hand away from her mouth. He drew back a bloody stump where his finger used to be.

He laughed crazily. "Niece of mine. I don't ever remember you having so much spunk. Your time with Riddick must have emboldened you." He looked at his steadily bleeding finger. "But I can think of much better things that you can do with that pretty mouth of yours."

She spit his finger at his feet. "Put anything in my mouth fucker and I'm biting it off." She glared at him angrily.

There was a low frequency hum and the lights dimmed once and then again before finally flickering out. Wylie could hear panic in the corridors, the sounds of footsteps scampering by the door. She hung her head between her shoulders letting her long hair snake to a pool at her knees. She knew. He had gotten a chance, he had evaded the merks made it to the power supply in the engine and was going to get away.

"Run, Riddick run." She said quietly to herself. She noted the back up power in the room was slowly dimming as well. Soon they would be in utter darkness.

"Sir?" Came a quiet voice from outside the door.

"Yes what is it?" Rozemond sounded irritated.

"Sir the main power has been cut from the engine room to the ship. Bay doors two three six and eight have all been opened. There are ships in all the bay's as well sir."

"Has anyone thought to manually close them?" He asked throwing the door open

"Look boss, you don't pay us enough to battle zero gravity in the bays while trying to lock down the doors." Another merk standing beside the first stated

Rozemond glared at the merk. "You know as well as I do that Riddick is on this ship. The ineptitude of your other crew is the reason for it." He shouted pointing to both of them. "What started into a clean operation has now turned into a clusterfuck."

"The crew checked the ship out."

"Yes, yes I'm sure they did." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "In any case, you have work to do. I want Riddick found. Now. No excuses."

"You." he pointed a finger at Wylie. He reached over and grabbed her around her arm. His blood was making her skin wet and sticky. "What do you know about Riddick?" Where on this ship is he? He shook her causing her vision to blur and her head to pound.

"I. don't. know. anything. She yelled. And even if I did you fucking waste of air, I wouldn't tell you."

"Oh, I think you will. I think you will tell me everything I care to know in just a few short hours." He reached behind her yanking on her restraints and drug her to the other side of the cabin.

………………………………............................................

Darkness, it runs over you like a silken glove. Not that semidarkness everyone is fond of telling you is real dark. No I'm talkin bout blackness. A touchable breathing thing. That's when I'm at my best. When the world closes down to just a few senses. Touch, taste, and smell. Most people forget how to use em. Most are too busy scrapin around in the darkness panicking; looking like a pack of animals when a predator is near. Well, their right. I just happen to be a little closer than they think. Right behind em standin there, watchin em and laughin bout their foolishness.

Riddick walked the corridor easily having just left the engine room and disabling the power supply. He looked like a man on a Sunday stroll. Loose arms and cocky swagger. The observation would have fit if not for the total panic going on in the ship. Merks were shouting out orders, running into each other and knocking things over as they did. Riddick could barely hear himself think over the squawk of comm units going off in the hallways. The yell of captured bounties escaping their now unlocked pens and adding to the overall mayhem in the ship. Rapid fire reverberated through the corridor and he grinned. Very soon this whole ship would be one big fucking melee too bad he couldn't stick around and watch.

He moved quickly in the direction of the docking bays, remembering his path through the air duct of the ship.

He stopped quickly, turning his head and listening. Nothing. That nothing happened to be no sound of comm units that was good. Very good. His little distraction had worked just the way he planned within minutes he would be hopefully loading onto a new ship and leaving this shithole behind him. He thought of Wylie. Poor kid. But she had made sense. Her bounty was non negotiable. The merks wouldn't kill her. The only thing Riddick had ever known merks to stick to was "conditions" when it came to a bounty. If it said alive then the "shipment" would be delivered alive. Merks, their only belief stood with their greenback god Riddick thought. Sure they might rough her up a bit, but Wylie was a big girl. She could take care of herself. She would escape before they dropped her off on Vesta. He was sure of it. Besides. Looking out for himself wasn't something that would have shocked her. She knew the score when she got involved. Tough, but those are the breaks.

Peering around the corner of the hall he groaned and crouched down. Thinking. If he were going to get out into the bay successfully he needed to snag one of the maintenance crew jumpers. The boots on the bastard suits had the zero gravity locks that would let him get out into the bay and up onto the ship. With the added benefit of at least making him appear to be one of the crew trying to get the ship secured. The only problem was that the pegs he was now staring at were all empty.

"Fuck." He exclaimed. All the crew had already grabbed the suits and was merrily on their way out to the bays. Like good little ants. Well he guessed he was gonna have to do it with out the friggin boots. Although the idea of himself floatin aimlessly in zero gravity plus havin merks takin shots at him like a fish in a barrel , was not his idea of fun and entertaining evening activities.

………………………………..................................................................................................................

The room swam in streamers of color as Wylie was pulled upright again. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep alert. She bit the inside of her cheek wincing wit the pain but knowing it would stave off the unconsciousness for awhile. If there was one thing Rozemond hated it was an inattentive toy. He could always think of a million creative ways to make sure he had your attention.

He sat her in a high backed chair, looping her arms over the back of it as he pusher her into a seated position. Rozemond leaned over resting on a table in front of her.

"Where should we start?" He asked looking over his shoulder at the box a few feet from her. He pushed himself off the table and swaggered over to it, pushing up the lid with the toe of his boot. Wylie shifted uneasily in her chair. The contents of that box had always scared the living shit out of her.

He smiled down at her. His arms were crossed behind his back, hiding something. "Shall we go dull or sharp today?" He sounded like he was asking a small child if they wanted a puppy or a kitten for Christmas.

"Oh I don't know. As long as both of em are small they'll still remind me of your dick." She said sweetly batting her eyes at him.

She could see the anger blooming across his face. Clouding his eyes and stripping away that carefully controlled violence he had leashed inside him. That's right fucker Wylie thought to herself. Get angry. Get mad. Lash out at me. Make it quick cause I'm sure as hell not looking foreword to weeks as you're toy until you finally decide to kill me. She knew with Riddick gone her chances were slim to none, there would be way too many merks now crawling all over the ship. Guarding every exit goin over it with a fine tooth comb. Goin back To Vesta 5 was not an option, however long Rozemond decided to keep her alive. Better make it quick she decided.

She beamed back up at him knowing it would piss him off.

He looked down at her smiling. "I know what you're trying to do."

"Do you?"

"Yes. You're trying to get me angry. Hoping I'll finish you off. Quickly. I have better plans for you. You're suffering will be exquisite. You will beg for death on your hands and knees from me."

"Well then _boy._ Better get going. Seems you've got a long road ahead of you." She glared right into his eye.

Rozemond laughed. "Sharp it is then. He pulled a long twisted metal pick from behind his back." Reaching his arm back he swung gaining momentum Wylie sat frozen bracing herself watching the big muscles in his arm wriggle under the skin.

Fuck this is gonna hurt.

The pick pierced her leg with little resistance sliding through the quad muscle of her thigh and punching through the other side, pinning her leg to the chair with the sickening sound of splintering wood. She grunted and winced not looking down at her leg.

"Only twenty or so more to go." Rozemond said merrily.

She looked at him grinning knowing it wasn't the reaction he was looking for. "Do you think you could make the next one a little slower? I hardly felt that one at all."

………………………………............................................................................

Riddick had reached the access hallway to the bays. Problem was there were merks down the hall equipped with self contained phosphorus torches not many but he guessed a lot of em were still in the ship trying to round up the zoo creatures that had escaped from their pins. Stupid assess, any con worth his salt would be makin a bee line straight to the docking bay to try to jump ship. The asshole merks in their infinite intelligence hadn't figured that out yet. There were maybe a handful six or seven of em down here. The ship Riddick calculated was probably big enough to hold several dozen bounties. The merks were going to be in for one hell of a wake up call when the screeching mob of cons came tumbling down the hall. Maybe he did have time to see the show after all. He looked around settling on a stack of supply crates leaning against the far wall. Moving silently over to the he climbed on top giving him a vantage of the entire hallway.

"Rivera, Douglas you there?" A comm echoed down the hall. Riddicks head shot to attention, his eyes squinted against the reflection of the light.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"Rozemond wants to know how far you are from getting the "situation" resolved. He wants two of us to go up to his quarters and escort Wylie to a holdin pen till we can get the power back on".

'That crazy bitch? She burned half of Clemons fucking face off. No fucking way. I'm not."

"Douglas, you will. He's payin us a shit load. And if he wants that little whore of his taken to a cell and detained until he can get back to _entertaining_ her, then that's what we'll do. Got it?"

"Yeah." He said dejectedly

"Fuck!' He yelled and threw the comm. on the floor. "Come on Rivera lets go."

Riddick watched the number of merks dwindle. Shit he thought to himself replaying Wylies words.

"_Rozemond is the final. The end. H__e will kill me."_

'Fuck kid. How much ya gonna owe me before this is all done?'


	7. Snap

__

There are times in almost everyone's life where they feel they are gonna snap. Most people don't. Oh sure, you have your housewives who find out that their husband of sixteen years has been cheating on her with the secretary from his job, or the guy who looses his job and takes to drinkin his life away. But most of humanity uses snap as a euphemism, a way to express that they have had enough. Real snaps are a lot more rare. That's when you see ol' charley from down the road grab a plasma gun and take out his family and half the block before the cops can corner him and he blows his goddamn head off. All over what? There were too many weeds in the flower bed, the neighbors' dog kept shitting on his lawn or his kid ate all the fucking mashed potatoes. See, a real snap is almost always over trivial shit. Most of the "normal" people will never have to worry about seeing one. Lucky them.

Some people will tell you that most god fearing people don't really have "psychotic episodes". I stopped believing in god when I was fifteen, right after my dad started testing on my mom. I really can't explain what a snap coming on feels like. Its almost like the happy sane place in you're mind shuts off, down, takes a break, whatever and leaves the dank, dirty, primitive part of your mind behind. Lets it off the chain if you will. Once you do though, it doesn't like to go back on. As a matter of fact most people I know who have had an honest to god snap, well lets say that their more beast than man. All of your thoughts center to one thing. Survival. And your mind has no qualms about how to do that. Bloody suits it just fine. Don't expect pity, justice or human thoughts like love to come into that picture either. Nope they got shot out the window right along with the tangle of emotions that was you're humanity. It seems that when you give the primitive part of your mind a tricky problem like feelings or emotions to deal with it just cuts out the middle man. Neatly detouring all the sentimental crap to the back of the fucking bus where it belongs. I had killed before, I'd survived and I'd had revenge. Never truly snapped I don't think.

I had stood on the edge of the abyss more than once and pulled myself back from it. Seemed today I was gonna jump headlong into it.

It was coming. Who would be in the way when the damn broke was another question.

………………………………........................................................................................................................

Holding deck D was eerily quiet; all the cons seemed to be holding a collective breath. The occupants of cell three stirred nervously. Waiting.

"Watcha see out there C-lo?" a voice from of the back of the cell piped up.

"Not much of anything. Its too fucking dark." he inhaled on his cigg the glow lighting up his swarthy face.

"Ya think the merks are fuckin with us?" said another voice.

"Nah. Doesn't seem to be their speed. Besides, I don't think they'd risk the chance of us flyin the coop just to fuck with us."

He leaned his weight back on the bars, and tugged at the cell door finding it was jammed on the track.

"What do you think Boogity? "

"Just my luck I get the fuckin broken cell." Boogey said as he walked to the front. He smashed his hands against the bars.

"You two gonna sit there or are we getting out of the cell?" Both Boogey and C-lo looked over their shoulders expectantly.

The two other occupants sat on either side of the darkened cell and looked up.

"I was really getting a feel for the homey touches in this shitheap." A grumbling voice said. The large bald man stood working the large muscles in his shoulders. " Just so happens, I'm the "brains" not the brawn of this operation." He said looking disdainfully at both Boogitie and C-lo.

"Shove it C.W." A voice piped up from the back end of the cell. "If you were so goddam good at being the brains of the operation as you like to pride yourself on; then why the fuck are we in here in the first place?"

C.W. spun and jutted an accusing finger at the dark skinned man sitting near him.

"Cause you Samoe, like to complicate things with your lack of logic.".

"Can't help it I was busy askin the questions you couldn't fuckin answer."

"If you had been more intent on watchin our backs than askin questions we wouldn't be in here."

Samoe stood crossing his brawny arms over his chest.

C-lo and Boogitie just looked at the two cell mates and shook their heads.

"We shoulda never cut em in on the deal." C-lo said quietly." Now were all fucking goin to slam. So you gonna help or what?"

"Go fuck yourselves." C.W. replied. "I'll find my way out one way or another."

"Samoe? What about you?"

A grunt was the reply from the corner of the cell

………………………………................................................................................................

Having twenty or so metal picks in your body was painful. Not something that would kill you. Rozemond was usually very careful about where he stuck em. For a sadist he had a very good knowledge of human anatomy. But hey everyone had to have a hobby.

Rozemond moved his face into her field of vision. She noted that the backup power was now dimming rapidly..

"Oh Rozemond. What trouble you're gonna be in. Watcha ya gonna do when the lights go out? And all alone in here with little ol' me."

"That's good coming from some one who has their hands restrained and is pinned to a chair."

"Thought some witty conversation would help us pass the time.'

"I never seem to stop being amazed by the way your body heals. Look." He pointed at the first pick in her leg. "Already the wound is closing around the pick." He grinned . "I think this time I will let them heal fully before I remove them."

"Goody. I can hardly wait". She said sardonically

Rozemond pouted for an instant.

"I'm really not enjoying myself with you. What?? No crying or fighting back? What happened to my vicious little convict that I had resurrected just a few short minutes ago?"

"Sorry. You've grown boring Rozemond. You're not even scary anymore." She said bluffing.

He moved behind her and leaned over her shoulder.

"Boring, I've become have I?" He whispered. Wylie heard a sharp click. She felt the muscles in her arm spasm uncontrollably.

Rozemond saw the movement in the dim light. He chucked. "You recognize that sound don't you?" He asked. The cool back end of a straight razor ran over her cheek, slowly like the caress of a lover. Wylie inhaled sharply.

__

"Yesssssss. You remember this." He spun the razor in his hand and moved it quickly along her cheek. The pain was immediate. Sharp stinging. She could feel the blood like warm molasses start to run down the side of her face.

Rozemond ran his tongue along the inside of the cut pushing it wider. He lapped at the raw flesh, his tongue making rasping sounds next to her ear.

"You think you could stop fucking licking the side of my face? Your breath smells like ass."

Rozemond sighed. She knew he was reaching the end of his patience. Soon if she could keep it up and hold it together, he would loose it. He would become impetuous and kill her. She had seen him do it a hundred times with other toys. He became too mad or excited and ruined the game.

He pulled her arms up tighter behind her causing her to yelp. He quickly ran the razor up the front of her arms from the wrist to the elbow. Laying open the layers of skin and muscle on that arm. He let the arm drop down loosely.

Rozemond patted her shoulder. Leaving a bloody print on the white shirt.

"That should hold your attention for some time." He said quietly as if discussing the weather outside.

It was then that she snapped. Like a switch being thrown in her head. All the rage and hate she had felt for years on end spilt through her in a scalding wave. Her skin rose into goose bumps. She could feel wave after wave of adrenaline pour through her body. She glared at Rosemond letting her eyes fill with the hatred she was feeling inside.

Rozemond was jabbering on talking to himself as he was bent over the box preoccupied by the toys and squinting to see in the gloom. She tugged against the restraints at her back. Her blood had made her arms and wrists slippery. She could feel one of them give a little. Wylie braced her back against the chair and pulled the restraints again. One moved farther down her wrist. She took in a deep breath and tugged again forcefully feeling the restraint cuff dig into the ripped flesh of her arm and finally slide off taking skin with it. She sat still looking at Rozemond. The room was almost in complete darkness. She moved her shoulders and dropped her hands to her sides.

"Well, I see my little incision has given you something to think about."

"Yep. Thinkin real hard."

"About what?"

"Come closer." She whispered. "I'll tell you."

Rozemond moved closer to her and rested his cheek against hers.

Wylie turned her head quickly and bit into the tender flesh grinding her teeth together on the skin of his cheek. Rozemond tried to jerk back as she swung the loose end of the cuff around his neck and pulled it tightly. The metal clicking dully as she pulled harder. Rozemond's eyes began to bulge slightly.

"My goodness! What have we here?" She said in a sing-song voice with her head tilted slightly. She sniffed the air and leveled her glance at him. "You stink like fear Rozemond. Didn't think your toy would ever get out of the box did ya?" She pulled he metal chord tighter. Blood had begun to trickle beneath it and pool on the base of his neck.

"Shoulda left me the fuck alone Rozemond." She hissed.

"I'm _sorry_ is that uncomfortable?" she said pulling the chord even tighter. "I could loosen it up a bit if you would like. What?? No plea for mercy? No bribe or whining? Oh how you disappoint. Here I was thinking that at least I'd get a little pleasure out of this. But no, you had to be a pussy didn't you?"

She asked shaking his head side to side violently. Rozemond tried to say something, but she pulled on the chord again.

"It's just as well." She said blandly. "I'm not much for guys that talk a lot". Tensing the muscles in her back she prepared to deal the final blow.

"Rozemond?' Came a voice from the hallway

Wylie put a bloody finger to her lips and smiled. Forcing herself to stand from the chair; the wood made a protesting whine as the picks were wrenched out of it. She led him away from the door hearing her blood patter onto the floor. Rozemond almost stumbled as she leaned back against the wall and pulled him to her chest.

"Rozemond? You here?" The voice sounded concerned. Wylie tilted her head trying to hear over Rozemonds ragged breathing

"Hello?" A head peeked into the doorway. "Rozemond were here to pick up Wylie."

She pulled harder on the chain choking off his air before he could call for help. _We?_ Her head perking up. More than one. She angled her body with Rozemond in front of it and stealthily moved farther into the deepening shadow.

"Shit. Check out all the blood." The merk pointed at the floor.

"How ja know its blood? Just looks like a dark stain to me. Could be other things…" He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly.

They both chuckled.

There was another low mechanical groan and the lights finally flickered out.

Wylie looked up momentarily distracted by the absence of any light. Rozemond leaned forward and tugged against her hold causing the chain slick with blood to slip from her fingers.

"Here. Here." Rozmond wheezed holding his neck. "She's loose."

"Fuck. Get down!" The merk reached into his belt pulling a baseball sized object out. He flung it to the floor.

__

It's a flash grenade. Harmless really if your eyes arnt light sensitive. She lunged to the floor throwing her arm over her eyes to shield them from the blast.

The grenade went off with a hissing pop. Bathing the room in stark white contrast. Wylie stayed crouched down until she was sure the light had dimmed. SSquinting she leapt up pushing past the two marks at the door still blinking from the light. She sprinted down the hallway almost slipping on her bloody feet as she went around the corner.

………………………………...........................................................................................................

Riddick moved effortlessly down the cell block corridors taking careful note of the layout. The blocks branched off into three separate sections all radiating from a central hallway most of the cells laid abandoned , although a few cons still milled about in the hallways. Most seemed to know trouble when they saw it and give Riddick a wide berth.

Look's like someone had a _very _good time. He thought to himself pushing part of a merks body out of his path with toe of his boot. There were pieces of the bastard scattered all over the place.

His boots rang hollow on the steel floor, the sound echoing and bouncing off the walls. He tilted his head carefully to the side and popped his neck. Striding over to one of the empty cells he looked inside. He moved his hand quickly to the small of his back running it comfortingly over the cold steel handle there. The accommodations hadn't changed much since the last time he had gone on a _vacation_. While glancing at the discarded contents of the room and the overturned chairs and bedding bunk he stilled himself. There were whispers coming from the cell over. Curious.

………………………………...................................................................................................

"What the fuck was that?" A grumbling voice asked towards the back of the cell.

"Don't know." C-lo said trying harder to look out into the darkness. "Sounds like someone is looking around in the cell next to us." He turned his head pressing his chiseled jaw up against the bars.

"You fucks gonna help me try to jimmy this door or you gonna sit back there and wait for the lights to come back on?" He whispered, looking at Boogitie and the others

"I thought we could just sit here. Since the other two fucks taking up our air obviously don't give a shit whether we get out or not. Besides he said evilly, I think Samoe and C.W. are really looking forward to being someone's bitch when they get into slam."

C-lo turned and looked over his broad shoulder.

"It's my luck that I get jammed up with you three smart assess. "

………………………………...............................................................................................................

Riddick sauntered over easily sliding his bulk in front of the cell and peering in meeting a set of dark eyes set in a tan but intelligent face.

"Well wada ya know. Four little birdies afraid to fly the coup." He tilted his head back and chuckled

"Who the fuck are you?"

Riddick leaned in to the bars, wrapping both of his hands around them. "Richard B Riddick, escaped convict, murderer. You?" He tilted his head towards the cell.

"None of your fucking business, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we would like to attach the "escaped" on to the list of our qualifications."

"Might be able to help you with that. Need some information."

C.W. muscled his way to the front of the cell. "We can fuckin figure out how to spring ourselves. Besides what the fuck do you know that we don't?"

Riddick shrugged looking down. "There's a finger jammed in the track of the door."

C-lo looked over at the four inhabitants of the cell. "All right we'll give what ya need to know."

"You know where Rozemond's quarters are?"

"Don't know him personally. But all the officers' quarters are on R deck. That help any?"

"Maybe."

Riddick leaned over and plucked the loose finger out of the track. A stray blast from a plasma rifle dented in the metal at about head height as he did. Riddick spun around in a crouch looking down the corridor.

The four occupants of the cell scrambled forward pushing on the steel door making it squeal loudly.

"Nobody. Move." he said quickly.

Riddick could see the merks advancing down the hallway. Looks as if they were doing a simple sweep and clear. Accessing the situation he didn't think they had seen him, maybe only heard him or in the best case scenario, the fire was only stray. Just trying to flush something out… Shit he ran his hand over his head. How could he be getting so careless? At least he had the advantage as long as the rag tag group of miscreants behind him didn't panic or try to run they wouldn't blow his cover.

The cell door behind him screeched wide.

"So much for not blowing my fucking cover." He grumbled deeply.

………………………………......................................................................................................................

Wylie was crouched over a merk that had the misfortune of wearing the same size clothes that she did. She rolled his now nude body over with disgust pushing him up against one wall. As she stood she pulled the pants of the neoprene jumper up around her waist. She wrapped her surprisingly steady hands around one of the picks in her arm and tugged on it. It slid out with a wet sucking sound. A ribbon of warm blackness wound it way around her bicep.

__

Come on Wylie, if your gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.

.Leaning against the wall she forced her boots on to her feet and winced, feeling the raw holes from the pegs pop open again and begin to bleed anew.

"Great. They won't hear me sneaking up on them squishing in my boots. "

She moved her hands through the pockets taking an inventory of the items there.

"All right," she sighed to herself. "ouple of plasma cartages, couple of tranks. Useless really. No trank gun. Lighter."

She moved her hand deeper into the pocket. "Ciggs," she pulled them up to her face. "Blegh! Crappy ciggs."

"Life is way too short to smoke shitty ciggs." she cackled to herself over the truth of her statement.

She tossed the pack into the darkness. Well, not exactly what she was lookin to find. Glasses would have been nice but she supposed that was really too much to hope for.

She pulled up the arms of the jumper being careful to avoid the new holes in her anatomy as much as possible. She squatted picking the twenty or so razor picks that she had pulled out of herself. She turned them loosely in her hand marveling how the blood looked black in the non-light of the corridor. Placing them in her pocket she scooped up the plasma rifle and swung it over her shoulder. The picks clinked ominously in her pocket.

She sang quietly to herself as she raced down the corridor. And thinking of all the things she was going to say to Riddick when and if she caught up with him

………………………………............................................................................................................................


	8. Tea and Violence

_Hero is a word used to describe a person of valor. A knight or mother fucking saint. I ain't either. Or all depends on which side of the fence you're looking over. The reason people looked at me like a hero I'll never understand. I guess they all see some shining spark of humanity that I lost long ago. I'm a survivor. Never claimed to be anything different. My one motive? Get out alive. Don't care how it's done dirty, clean quick or slow. All ways ends up the same. Someone gets ghosted. The survival instinct makes sure it's not me. Do I regret? Do I wake up at night in cold sweat wondering if I could of done something different? Would it shock you if I said no? Then the answers no. Or maybe I'm full of shit, and like to put on a front. But you look into my eyes when I pull the cold steel of a shiv across you're neck and tell me I'm wrong._

_……………………………….................................................................................................................._

Riddick sprinted down the hall his long strides putting more and more distance between him and the band of cons. He was almost sure that the merks had stumbled right on top of them. The echoing pop and scream of human voices reiterated the thought. He looked up noting the dead overhead lights passing quickly. His body slid around the corner. Thoughts jumbled in his head tumbling one over the next. He didn't know the exact room that Rozemond was in but he did know the deck. Coming to yet another cross-hall he looked around the corner making sure no one was there. He leaned against the wall taking a momentary respite.

_She had to have the shittiest luck of anyone he had ever met, including himself. What were the goddamn odds that her old slam boss would happen to be on the ship? It had to be superbly bad fuckin' cosmic timing._

He shook his head. Pulling himself from the wall he paced himself further into the stygian blackness.

………………………………......................................................................................

Deck R was relatively quiet. And relatively quiet bothered him. Not to say there wasn't the common noise of the ship's hull folding and expanding, the pops and groans of the old freighter were oddly comforting. The part that wasn't was the lack of human noise. No footfall, no breathing no whispering. The lack of noise made his own seem that much louder by comparison. All of his senses were on alert, the same senses that had kept him alive hundreds of times before. He slowed his pace placing one foot carefully in front of the other. The shiv came out of its hiding place with an audible hiss. He slowly rotated the blade in his hand working his fingers up the metal hilt.

"Hold it right there Riddick." A voice behind him said calmly.

Riddick's head snapped up glaring over his shoulder at the figure behind him.

"Neat trick hunh? Always make sure to track Riddick like a wild animal. Always stay down wind."

"Glad to know I have another fan."

"Fan? No not quite_ silver eyes_. Trophy hunter? Quite possibly. Always wanted to be the one who brought back in Richard B. Riddick."

"Do I fuckin' know you?" He asked impatiently.

"Think you do. A little place like Butcher Bay bring back any memories?"

"Jay?" Riddick turned quickly. His eyes ran over her with a predatory gaze.

"The one and only." She laughed quietly. "Been looking for you for a _long_ time Richard. After you escaped Butcher Bay, well lets just say there was no one there who could quite fill your shoes." She sauntered up to him moving her fingers slowly up the curve of his muscled arm.

'Nice to see you joined ranks with the bottom feeders." Riddick grumbled

'What can I say? They gave me the chance to hunt you down. I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

He exhaled loudly through his nose. Nickel-plated eyes slid over her taking her in. Boy short hair. Pale face, green eyes, there were a smattering of freckles over the bridge of her nose. Lanky body, all angles and sharp corners. The neoprene merk suit she was wearing made her look thinner than what she was. Attractive in a rather generic sort of way. What disturbed him was the neediness he saw shining through her eyes. He had seen that look in a million women, and like all of them she would be the same thing. Helpless, clingy, feeble. There was no way this girl could survive on her own. He made a move to grab her wrist.

"Don't. Even. Try. It." She snatched her hand back bringing her other arm slowly forward. The low electric hum of a Gaph stick drew his attention.

"Whatta ya say Dick? Think you can still stand after the six hundred volts this little puppy puts out?" She depressed the switch at the end of the baton causing the slender stick to glow blue in the dark.

"Wasn't very nice of you to fuck and run."

"What can I say? I ain't the marrying type."

"It's a damn shame too. What beautiful kids we would have had." She stated sarcastically. "I'm sure the thought keeps you awake at night. You should have taken me with you when you left. I coulda helped you."

"Didn't seem too important to keep you around. Just something to pass the time. Never told you anything but."

"You have to admit it was good."

"No I don't. It wasn't. You were a lousy lay"

Her expression was becoming angry.

He crossed is large arms over his chest. " Do you think I saw you as anything but a piece of ass? A way to scratch an itch? Did ya think I was goin to take you away and live happily ever after with you? The white fuckin' picket fence and two point five kids and doggie? If you did that was you're fuckin' mistake. Can't help it if you've got fuckin' regrets. I wasn't the one throwin' my self at you. If you had kept your ears open and legs closed you might have picked up on that a lot sooner sister. I just took what was offered. Cant blame a man dyin' of thirst for drinking in the desert."

"But I helped you out. I was one of the guards. I showed you how to escape!" Her voice was climbing in volume.

Riddick laughed in her face. "No _honey._ I escaped all on my own. Entertain yourself with visions that you were the reason Riddick escaped Butcher Bay but both you and I know that's a load of shit. I was already half into my plans before you ever showed up." He roamed his silvered eyes over her disdainfully.

"You're a bastard."

"Yes." He said calmly. "But they don't put nice people in slam do they?"

"But I thought…"

"You thought what?? Jay, you mean _nothing_ to me. Nothing. I ripped up your pink ass and when I was through I scrapped it. Didja honestly think that after escaped I laid awake at night at thought of the _wondrous_ time we had together?" He tilted his head back bellowing a full-throated laugh. "Sister, if you did you're fucking pathetic. I can't help it I was the best lay you ever had." He pointed at her. "You're fantasy not mine."

"What _is_ your fantasy?" She moved closer to him wedging her leg between his and pushing her breasts up against his crossed arms. "I could fulfill it."

He looked down at her with glittering eyes. His chest rumbled lowly as he spoke. "Lady, I wouldn't touch you with someone else's stolen dick."

"Fuck you Riddick!" she shouted.

She moved away from him and pulled her leg from between his. She reached over and ran the Gaph Stick up Riddicks side He felt the electricity coil into his body. His leg convulsed, the muscles feeling like they were being wrenched from the bone. The electricity's stinging fingers pulled the strength out of it. His knee buckled and fell from underneath him. It landed on the steel floor with a sickening crunch squealing under the full weight of the impact. He looked up at her struggling to stand again when Jay raked the stick up against his temple. The world swam with blue streamers. Tiny stars appeared and moved past his eyes as his head snapped back and rammed into the wall. The last thing he saw was Jay's smiling face as his eyes clamped shut and his teeth ground down on his lip. He swam into darkness tasting his own thick blood; thinking that when he woke up she would find out just how dark his fantasy could get.

……………………………….........................................................................................................................

Wylie was sprinting through D deck heading out towards the landing bays, when she saw the figure of a woman leaning over a Grav sled. Slowing her speed she paced herself behind the figure. It was curious that a lone woman even a merk would be left with a prisoner on a sled. She moved closer focusing intently on the figure chained to it. Shaking her head and squinting her eyes she blinked repeatedly. __

_Looks a lot like Riddick but that's crazy. I f it is, what the fuck happened to him? How the hell did she get one up on him? Shit is he dead?_

_Guess I better go find out. _She sighed quietly to herself.

Wylie stopped and whistled loudly. The woman walking with the sled came to a halt a quickly and rotated her head. The night vision goggle's she was wearing was the first thing she noticed. The second was that she happened to be a thin little thing with a really bad haircut.

"Watcha got there?" Wylie asked approaching the sled slowly.

"Piece of shit con. Transferring him back to holding on D deck."

"Really? Mind if I have a look?"

"Who the fuck are you? I don't remember seeing you in any of the merk quarters."

_What is this national asshole day? I cant catch a fuckin' break._

'Just passin' through". Wylie calmly walked over to the sled and looked down.

_Shit. It was him. And it looked like this bitch knocked him out. _Running her eyes over his prone form she quickly accessed the situation_. Well at least he's breathing. Fucker._

"Look I don't know whom the fuck you are but I need to get him back to holding. So if you don't mind…"

'Yeah actually, I do." She was starting to get really pissed, to add insult to injury she had Riddicks' shiv shoved through one of the loops of her utility belt.

"Why would you care anything about a con?"

'Asked myself that a lot lately. Don't really know. But, I really can't see you bringing him in successfully." She chuckled looking her over.

"I'm quite capable of doing it." She said angrily.

"Oh yeah? You and what fuckin' army? Come on girl, that man is twice, no three times your size". She pointed down to Riddick. "Even if you could lift him," her eyes roamed over the thin woman in front of her, "which I highly doubt, whatcha planning on doing with him if he wakes up?"

The woman in front of Wylie produced a Gaph stick and shook it merrily a smile spreading across her narrow face.

"Tisk, tisk keep it up girly and there will be only half bounty to collect. By the look of him you've already shocked the shit out of him once. I wouldn't go for a second round. Just call it my professional opinion from me to you."

_"Sweetheart, _I've been in this business a long, long time. I think I fucking know what I'm doing. This piece of shit is going back to slam where he belongs."

Wylie crossed her arms on her chest staring down at Riddicks' prone body.__

_All right I've tried logic, and being slightly polite. So now I guess I'm just gonna have to piss this bitch off. Besides, I really fuckin' hate being called sweetheart. So, I guess this is gonna end up in a pissin' contest. Who's got the bigger balls? Well honey, I've got the biggest around. Is it so much to ask for to meet someone who doesn't have to throw them on the table? _She shook her head._ Why in the fuck do I always meet up with em? _She chuckled quietly with her self. _What ever happened to inviting someone in for a tea, or maybe a handshake and both parties leaving on honorable terms. Nope, that's the problem with space. A breakdown of social etiquette. Nobody in this fuckin' star system had any manners._

Wylie looked up from her thoughts noting that the other woman had started pushing the sled further down the hall.

"Hey, _sweetheart _why ya pissed_? _Don't handle rejection too well?"

The sled came to a complete stop in the hall, the woman behind it spun around and begun marching towards Wylie.

Wylie stood shocked; _I'll be damned. I was right. Lucky guess. All right here we go. Shit a scorned woman, this is gonna be fun._

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Wylie stood sizing up her opponent. She was sloppy, her approach was all wrong. Her eyes narrowed trying to find a weak spot that she could hit easily taking her down. The other woman started to run at Wylie, she stood still holding her ground. With a yell the approaching female closed the last few feet and struck Wylie in the stomach with her elbow, knocking the breath out of her and causing her to stumble backward.

"So I'm guessin' were _not _havin tea." Wylie stated wheezing. " Fine. Next hit is mine." She moved her arm back balling her hand into a fist and struck the other woman squarely in the nose. There was a gristly crunching sound as the nose leaned drunkenly to the side of her face and began to pour blood.

Her hand went immediately to the center of her face. "You fucking bitch! You broke my goddamn nose!" The words came out mushy and slurred around the edges

"So I did. Guess you'll have to learn to deal with rejection after all."

"I'm going to kill you." She shouted spraying spittle and blood on Wylie's face.

"You can try. Don't really think you're woman enough to _sweetheart_." You got a chance to go. Wylie said menacingly.

"My name isn't sweetheart. It's Jay." She began to shake off the effects of the broken nose.

"Well then Jay, lets dance." Wylie stepped closer and rammed her shoulder against Jay knocking her off balance. She slid her hand to Jay's utility belt sliding Riddick's blade out with stealthy ease.

Wylie was surprised by the quickness in which Jay reacted. Wylie tried to turn her head from Jays' blow as she connected with Wylie's lip splitting it open. Wylie grunted, her tongue darting out of her mouth to collect the blood welling up there. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and grinned.

"Gotcha." Jay said triumphantly.

"Ya think?" Wylie said laughingly. "Last chance, before things get ugly." Wylie looked at Jay razing an eyebrow. Jay remained impassive. She moved Riddicks' shiv in front of her face, her eyes reflected in the blade. Jay's shock was apparent.

'Well, if you have a toy then I cant come to the dance without mine can I?" She pulled up her Gaph stick pushing the button and bringing it to blue, pulsing life. She lunged towards Wylie waving the electrified stick in front of her.

Wylie stepped back cautiously.

"Well, bitch. At least you have the good sense to look scared. You know, this little baby took out the refuse over there on the sled. As soon as I hit you with this you're gonna squeal, just like he did. Like a little pig."

Wylie could feel the rage building in her. "As far as I know, I've never heard Riddick squeal." Wylie lunged at Jay and darted away making her flinch.

"You're really brave with that stick aren't you girl?"

Wylie spat. She crouched down juggling the siv from hand to hand. Wylie lunged again; Jay hopped back and followed suit crouching as well. Wylie quickly rose, pulling back her leg and connecting it with Jay's chin. Jay's teeth clipped together and her head fell back taking her body with it. Wylie leapt gracefully on top of Jay trying to pin her arms down with the weight of her knees. Jay's arm moved to the side brandishing the Gaph stick and connecting it with Wylie's right thigh. A tingling numbness was the first thing she felt then, a sharp pain as her leg became useless. The reek of burning neoprene wafted into her nostrils. She dropped the shiv to her side and grabbed Jay's arm, forcing it above her head and twisting her wrist, breaking it. Jay wailed in outrage. Wylie could see a tear course down the side of Jays face illuminated in the dim glow of the dropped Gaph stick. Wylie turned her attention from the Gaph stick only to receive a face full of nails pulling from under her eye to the point of her chin. She reached down and grabbed jay's chin in her hands squeezing it painfully in her vice-like grip. She turned Jays head to look into her eyes. Scooping up the shiv next to their struggling bodies. She pressed the deadly point to Jay's neck.

"You're pathetic." Wylie's voice shook with anger. "You fight like a Little.Fucking.Girl." She cackled crazily. "Now what were you saying? Let me see, oh yes that's right. I was gonna squeal …like a little pig?"

"Please." Jay said quietly.

"Please what? Please don't kill you? Kill you quickly?_ Slowly?_ What? Because I aim to please."

"Please don't kill me."

Wylie looked down at the quivering thing beneath her. Her silver eyes were cold and disdainful.

" So what?" Her hands shook with anger pushing the point of the shiv farther into Jay's throat causing a drop of blood to spill down the edge of the blade. Jay whimpered quietly, trying to back away from the shiv. "If I let you go you promise to leave and let me take him?" She nodded her head over to the grav sled.

"Yes. Fine anything you want."

"Don't make me regret this." Wylie said coldly.

"I wont. I wont." Jay said quickly.

Wylie began to move off of Jay, pulling the shiv from her neck when she saw her eyes move over to the Gaph stick.

She forced her weight back on to Jay's arms grinding her knee against jay's fractured wrist.

" You little whore. Here I am doing my level best to let you live and you just have to fuck it up don't you?" Wylie shook her head. "It's a shame really. Could have lived. Could of walked away from this. Not smart." She growled moving her face closer to Jay's. Wylie rocked back, pulling her weight off her knees and balancing on the balls of her feet. She stared down into Jay's panicked eyes.

"All of this trouble because of pride. Couldn't you just let it go? Brass balls and bravery don't count for shit when you're ghosted."

Wylie forced the point of the shiv into her throat as Jay's hand scrambled up the arms of the suit. She could feel the dull pain of her nails through the neoprene.

'Survival's a bitch isn't it Jay?" She cocked her head to the side. " If you hadn't been so dumb than maybe you would of learned that lesson some day." Wylie leaned over and whispered into Jay's ear.

"Do you believe in God Jay?" Jay moved her head away from Wylie's lips whimpering. "Pray." Wylie whispered.

"Good night Jay. Perhaps, if we had met on different terms we could have had a drink. Maybe even tea. It's not like I didn't offer that from the beginning. " Wylie chuckled as she plunged the point of the shiv into Jays throat. Wylie's eyes watched coldly as Jay's mouth moved to make words, her eyes still pleading. Jay breathed deeply her life moving out of her with a last desperate rattle. Wylie leaned over to her cooling body and placed a kiss on her forehead pushing her eyes closed with the tips of her fingers. Wylie stood slowly shaking her head. _What a waste, stupid little girl._

_God, she was tired. Tired of livin', tired of killin'; tired of havin to prove herself to every shit for brains that came along her path. She wanted to be left the fuck alone. _She looked at the cooling corpse of Jay, angry with the girls stupidity._ I was there once, too proud and dumb to worry about my own survival. Over what? A man who would of left you to die in some dank corner of the universe with the monsters closing around you. _

Wylie pressed her hand to the side of her face wincing at the pain of the deep furrows there. Running her hand down her arms the palms of them both came away bloody. _Man, lots of blood. Well, _she shrugged. _Either I'll die or I wont._

She glared down at Jays corpse and kicked it with her boot ."You should of run when you had the chance girl." Wylie croaked.

She wiped the blood on the leg of Jay's pants and stood, limping over to the sled where Riddick was laying.


	9. Mirror

(NC-17)

Riddick woke with a start and a pounding headache. He held his head while he sat up feeling as if his brains were going to leak out. Moving his hands around his body he instinctively felt for his shiv. The feeling of cool material underneath him made his mind race. He cracked open an eye squinting, sure that he would see the inside of a slam cell. To his surprise it happened to be the sleeping quarters on the inside of a ship. Who's remained to be seen. He paused; regrouping and shaking off the effects of the nasty shock he had received.

"Shit." He grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He twisted his head and felt his neck crack, relieving some of the tension in it. From his position on the bed he took in the quarters. There was really nothing of note until his eyes came to rest on a merk suit lying abandoned in the corner looking like a shed skin. Next to the suit were a pair of Grav boots and a plasma rifle.

Riddick paused for a minute. Replaying the events that had led up to his unconsciousness.

Suit looks like the one Jay was werin' before she had me suckered and hit me with that pussy stick of hers. Bitch.

He shook his head fiercely trying to clear the fog. As his mind began to clear he remembered the reason why he was in R Deck in the first place. Wylie.

Fuck. She was in Rosemond's quarters…

Riddick pushed him self off the bunk. His head began to throb immediately. He winced pushing the palm of his hand against his temple. He moved quickly to the corner of the room scooping up the plasma rifle. Turning, he headed towards the door and tested it. It swung easily opening into a dim corridor.

Someone was careless, either that or very stupid.

Stepping out into the hall he sniffed the air tentatively. There was the smell of blood but not much else. He could hear running water and moved in the direction that the sound emanated from. Walking in the hall he ran his hand along the interior of the hall. The size of the ship told him that they were no longer on the Merk freighter. Most probably they were in a star jumper or at best a cruiser. Pointing the barrel of the plasma gun in front of him he slithered down to an open door. He peered inside, moving his eyes around the interior of a shower cubical. The stall its self was too fogged by the temperature of the water for him to see clearly inside.

Give you three guesses who's in there. He thought to himself. Wylie is dead because of this bitch, she won't be long in following her.

Riddicks mind twisted inwardly.

Caroline, Jack and now Wylie. Fuck. Everything, everyone I've ever given two shits about is gone.

The pain of Caroline's death was still fresh in his mind. Just as if it had happened yesterday, not five years ago.

And Jack? In a prison on Crematoria, getting the shit beat out of her if she hasn't been ghosted by some shiv happy con. Caroline couldn't do anything for you. Monsters, what a fuckin' bitch. Strong survival instinct. Not strong enough.

Riddick moved into the room, the smell of blood grew stronger. He smiled

That's right. Bleedin' a little? Good. You'll be bleedin' a whole lot more before it's all over.

Curling his hand around the handle of the shower door he yanked it open forcefully and leveled the gun at the figure inside. The steam moved into his face depositing little droplets of moisture on it.

Wylie was standing; her back to the opening of the shower. The hot water was sluicing over her turning the water pink at her feet.

"Lo' Riddick." she croaked not turning around. "Good to see you're awake." She hung her head between her shoulders pressing her hands against the wall. "Look, it's been a rough day. Please don't give me any shit."

Riddick stood stunned.

"Thought you were dead."

"Nope. Still here. Thought the same about you. Nice company you're keeping these days."

"Where's Jay?"

"Dead." She said simply. She heard Riddick stirring behind her the rustling of clothing was distracting. The door of the stall snapped closed behind her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The deep rumble of his chuckle vibrated against her back. She could tell he was smiling.

"Showering. Why?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, I was getting ready to get out anyways. Shower's all yours." She turned quickly trying to move past Riddick's muscular bulk.

He moved a hand to her shoulder and squeezed it. Wylie flinched, the pain showing in her face.

"Wylie," his voice was a low grumbling bass. "Look at me."

Wylie flung the hair back from her face staring defiantly into Riddicks eyes.

"You look like shit kid." Riddick moved his hand to her cheek, the pad of his thumb lightly tracing the deep gouges there.

She laughed. It was a bitter sound. "Told you I had a rough day."

He cupped her chin in his hand, leaning his head towards hers. "Who did this?"

"Jay." She said impatiently. She moved to walk around Riddick again.

He squeezed her shoulder harder. "And the rest of the marks?" He ran this other hand lightly over the holes in her shoulder, arms and stomach.

"Rosemond. Riddick, I said no shit. Leme go."

He grinned out of the corner of his mouth. "Tell me Wylie. Look into my eyes and tell me you want me to let you walk and I will."

She looked at his face her nickel-plated gaze meeting his. "Let me go. "

A look of triumph spread over Riddicks features. He tilted his head to the side licking the stray beads of water off his lips. "Tell me again." He said seductively.

Wylie sighed and looked at him once again. "Let me go Riddick." She ground out, the first tinges of anger coloring her voice.

Riddick tilted her head to one side and moved his face closer to hers. His tongue darted out sliding over her lower lip. He moved his face back leveling his gaze on to her.

"I told you your eyes gave you away." He moved his hand lightly down her breast, resting its peak into his palm. He stared into her face as he did it gauging her reaction.

"Riddick, if this is some fuckin' game you're playin' then cut the shit." Wylie said quietly.

Riddick released her shoulder pushing a finger to her lips as he moved his body closer to hers.

"No game. Not this time." He pulled his palm away from her breast only to be replaced by his fingers gently tugging on the steel rings there. Wylie arched into his hand grinding her teeth.

Riddick moved all at once pushing her against the wall and pressing his body against hers. She could feel the muscles of his chest slide against her nipples as he moved his hands back up to her face. He held it pinned there staring into her eyes.

"Now where were we?" He asked sliding his hands from her face down her slender neck over her breasts finally coming to rest on the swell of her hips. He moved his fingers in idle circles there distracting her. Wylie let out a hiss between her clenched teeth.

Riddick pressed his fingers into the muscle on either side of her hip pulling his entire frame against hers. He tilted his head down to look into her eyes.

"So can you tell me without your eyes provin' you're a liar?" He grumbled.

Wylie snapped her eyes shut and razed her head following his voice.

"If I close my eyes asshole you can't see what the fuck I'm thinking."

He shook his head swallowing.

"I can hear it in your voice. Can smell it on your skin."

He inhaled sharply burying himself in her sodden hair at the base of her neck.

"You smell hot Wylie." He said slowly. "Wet, soft." He clicked his tongue against his teeth. His hands convulsed around her hips. He slowly ran them along the long muscle of the thigh feeling the scars of her slam tattoo, around to her back and cupped her ass.

Shit she feels small in my hands. His large hand moved and pressed luxuriating in the soft skin he found there. He took another deep breath in loving the pheromone spike he smelt there.

She's as hot as I am.

He paused for a moment bathing in the sensations of her. Feeling her fevered skin beneath his palms.

Wylie pressed herself into his chest breathing deeply of him. His smell, his excitement. Musk and male and wet hot skin. She ran her hands over the broad muscles of his back lightly scoring the flesh with her nails.

Riddick felt her nails scratch over his back and growled. A deep throated menacing sound. He could feel his control slipping. His mind was slowly slipping into its guise of the predator. He fought, stringing thoughts together.

Alive. Warm breathing alive. Mine. Mine. My territory. Possession

He jerked his head up and moved his hands around her narrow waist almost crushing the air out of her. He looked down to see the dark halo of her hair curling wetly down the length of her back.

Wylie slid the hot skin of her cheek over the pad of muscle on Riddicks chest lightly brushing the feverish skin across his nipple. She took the sensitive peak in her mouth and bit into it. Tiny pricks of blood welled up on the surface as she ran the steel ball in her tongue over the abraded skin to sooth it.

Riddick grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled back on it pressing his forehead to hers. The eye contact was intimate.

He stared down into her eyes looking for some semblance of rational thought, of feeling, of humanity. He felt his pulse quicken to see her eyes were a mirror of his reflecting back his beast as well as her own. The look in her eyes was feral. Like that of a cat or wolf wondering if they should kill you or play with you.

Aggressive. I like that. Will she eat me or fuck me? He turned his head to the side _I hope both._

He grabbed the back of her head and drew his lips to hers covering them and sliding his tongue into her mouth with bruising force.

She could feel his arousal pressed between their bodies as their tongues dueled with each other. His large hands ran down the back of her thighs gripping them. The muscles of his arms flexed as he pulled her off her feet wrapping them around his waist and pinning her back to the corner of the shower. His mouth still covered hers as his hand moved from her legs to roam down the slick muscles of her stomach coming to rest on the v in-between her thighs. He skimmed the knuckles of his hand over it as she jerked back almost loosing the grip around his waist. Reaching out a steadying arm he hefted her back up against his body and pulled his lips from hers biting on her lower lip as he did so.

"Riddick I" …..she stated dazed. He stared into her eyes letting out a deep growl.

He moved his mouth over the soft pad of muscle covering her upper arm and bit down fiercely as he slid himself into her.

God she's tight. Fucking her is so sweet. He looked into her upturned face. _Beautiful._

Wylie bucked against the mixture of pain and pleasure the two combining quickly as he moved his tongue over the set of bleeding marks in her shoulder. He moved his hands from their position on her legs back to her hips pulling her closer to him as he ground himself deeper within her.

Wylie felt as if he were trying to go through her. She inhaled heavily, pressing her nails deeply into the skin on Riddick's back and squeezing her legs tighter around Riddick's waist. She moved slightly getting herself accustomed to the size of him. Riddick tilted back his head groaning. She pushed her back against the slick wall returning the pressure.

Riddick pulled himself slowly out of her, jamming himself back in with bruising force. Wylie moaned slightly. Feeling her muscles contract and give with each thrust. She could feel a quiver run down his back. His head was bowed and brow furrowed in concentration.

Riddick fought within himself. His first instinct was to push her to the floor, grip her hips and pound into her until she was a screeching, writhing thing beneath him. It was all he could do to push and pull himself out of her slowly.

Come on Riddick give me more.

Wylie reached back behind her forcing herself off the wall and pushing all of her weight forward. Riddick, busy concentrating toppled backwards, caught off balance by the added weight. He fell backwards releasing her hips to have his hands catch most of his weight. Wylie fell directly on top of him her legs still wrapped around his hips impaling herself there.

Wylie sat astride him, her back arched as she undulated above him. The water from the shower had since turned cold causing her nipples to stand erect and her body to break out in gooseflesh. His hands moved to her hips guiding her rhythm. She moved slowly above him. Rocking effortlessly. She ran her nails up Riddicks chest and to his face as she ground her self harder against him.

Riddick chuckled noting her cool flesh and sodden hair. He ran his hand from her hip to her breast rolling the hard nipple in-between his fingers. She gasped. Her eyes growing wide as he did the same with the other hand.

"Id guess, Riddick ground out "that you've never been done proper." He waited the space of a breath for the words to sink in before he flipped her over to her back. Pulling almost entirely out before he slid slowly back in while Wylie writhed beneath him. He moved his hands to either side of her head keeping most of his weight off of her. The muscles of his stomach moved against her as he began to push harder into her. He began increasing the rhythm. Using one hand to steady her hips he moved teasingly

Riddick moved his legs to either side of her hips as he kneeled deepening his stroke. He felt her stiffen as he plunged in again. Wylie turned her head to the side closing her eyes and moaning.

Riddick reached around and grasped her face in his hands

Open your eyes Wylie he ground out as he plunged into her again. "I want you to see _me_ when you come." Wylie's eyes flashed open focusing intently on Riddicks face as her body arched beneath him. In response she could feel him thicken inside her. She knew he was near. She moved her legs to the outside of his and wrapped them tightly around his back and took him deep within her. He growled closing his eyes.

"Open your eyes Riddick," Wylie panted staring into his face. His eyes flashed silver as they opened. Wylie looked deep into their sliver depths as she felt his body stiffen and his beast slide aside in his eyes. His face became softer somehow as she ran her hand over his cheek caressing it.

Mine. She thought.

She felt him plunge deep into her pushing both of them over the edge as she came apart in his arms screaming for more.

………………………………............................................................................................................................

Riddick woke to the sound of quiet. He pulled his head from the pillow running a hand over his eyes wiping the sleep from them. He began to turn over smelling Wylie knowing she was there. He tossed his muscular arm over the side of the bed and came in contact with nothing. Moving his hand over the depression that her body had made he found it warm.

Couldn't have been gone five minutes.

Riddick sat up pushing the sheets aside, he walked slowly to the shower gathering his cargos and pulled them around his hips zipping them as he walked to the front of the ship. He rested one arm against the overhead panel as he punched in a series of buttons opening the shield on the cockpit windows. They slid aside with a dull hiss exposing a lit landing bay bustling with well dressed people. Riddick squinted against the light and sat down in one of the crew chairs at the front of the cabin. He flipped on the nav computer listening to the comforting hum as it warmed up. He moved his grainy eyes around the cabin and noticed a bottle next to the base of the second chair. He stood leaning over and plucked the bottle off the floor. He turned it over slowly in his hands studying it. He noticed the label had been torn off the bottle. Peering around the cabin he saw the label folded over one of the hydraulic controls. He plucked the label off the controls and flipped it over squinting at the writing on it. It took hi a second to realize that it was Vestuvian calligraphy. He shook the paper. A credit chip fell into his lap.

Riddick,

Ships yours. Enjoy take care of her. In case you haven't noticed I landed her on Vestuvian. The merk count is low on this planet so go out and have a drink. I'm off to fry bigger fuckin' fish. Hopefully we won't be attending either's funerals.

By the way Riddick….your eyes gave you away too. -Wylie.

Riddick held the label in his hand for a moment before balling it up and tossing it on the floor. He ran his hand over his head.

"Fuck." He growled out looking out the window.


	10. Possession

Possession. A word that means ownership. Sometimes it's a nasty word. Seldom nice. It reminds you of jealousy. People will do stupid things because of possession. Or at least their thought of what they own. War, murder and sometimes religion all has something to do with it. To own or to be owned? The powerful own. The weak are owned. And sometimes you can be right in the middle and be both. Owned and owner. Weak and strong. That's the fine line hardest to walk. The one that makes you tremble at the thought. Stepping just a little off the middle line takes you all the way into the other extreme. I've seen the strongest on their knees and the weakest standing over them. Why? A simple emotion that all people carry around with them. Gripping it to their hearts in the middle of the darkest nights or the coldest winters. The set of emotions that convince you that there is someone out there. The need to be wanted. The need in some small way in the darkest corner of your mind to be loved.

Didn't believe in love. Something for parents to tell their children at bedtime; to make them believe that there is a power in this fucked up world of ours; that makes since out of all he crazy things people do. I knew better. People on the whole are just fucked up. Don't blame love for it. That's like saying the friggin' tooth fairy gives you cavities. Please. But it would be nice to have the luxury to be able to believe in something like that.

……………………………….................................................................................................................................

Wylie pulled the floor length black duster around her and buttoned the silver snaps at her waist. She turned quietly in the mirror looking carefully at her reflection. Knee high Black boots. Leather pants. Black tank, Black duster.

"Miss Monochromatic. That's me." She peered again looking to see if there were any tell tale bulges poking out from under the duster. The harness she wore chafed horribly over the shoulder but the duster made it too warm to wear long sleeve underneath it. She moved looking to see if the silver of the blade she carried with her shone out when she moved or shrugged. Satisfied Wylie stepped out of the room and onto the streets of Vestuvia to meet with Gymp her information contact she had met years ago. Gymp was a little rat of a man. Whenever she would have problems hacking into Rosemond's comps or procuring ways for Rosemond's prospective toys to get off of Vesta 5 she had always relied on Gymp. He could be a good man. For a price. A little too touchy feely for her taste but, he always had the goods. Besides it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Wylie smirked to herself. Gymp had seen what she was capable of. Wylie knew she scared the livin' shit out of him

………………………………..................................................................................................

The streets on Vestuvia were like that of any other sprawling metropolis. That is if the city in question leaned towards brothels, casinos and bars. Wylie pulled in a deep breath smelling the dust and heat baked street. It remained hot on Vestuvia long after the sun went down. Looking down the street she was suddenly struck by how little the place had changed since she left. Still the same bars with their garish neon signs, the same clubs and venues the same brothels, whores hanging from every available balcony and window plying their trades and wares for the viewing public. Wylie pulled her damp hair from the nape of her neck letting the stifling breeze cool the perspiration some what.

Turning a corner she saw her target. A large two story bar with a black front. Several grav bikes were parked next to the entrance with a handful of seedy miners and bikers hanging out in front. She walked smoothly to the porch keeping her head tucked into the high collar of the duster trying to look as non- descript as possible. Her boots made the boards of the building squeal as she stepped on to them. Everyone's head turned towards the noise.

So much for being invisible.

She moved between the crowd trying not to make eye contact but observing several people out of the corner of her eyes.

Seems shine jobs have become all the rage.

The observation put her at ease. If several people had jobs then she would be less likely to stick out.

She pushed open the heavy leaded doors at the front and looked about in the din. Music, smoke and laughter were the first things that assaulted her senses. She pushed past a large crowd gambling over a game of dice and walked over to the bar. Scanning it quietly she noted a little man hunched over a bottle of cheap whiskey and headed in that direction.

………………………………........................................................................................................

"Gymp didn't I tell ya' about that shit" She asked disapprovingly.

The smaller man's head shot up, blinking a pair of watery eyes at her. Wylie reached over the bar grabbing the bottle of rotgut and sniffed it making a face.

"This is really low. Even for you." Wylie pushed the offensive liquor down the bar and grabbed her credit chip from her pocket. She pulled up a bar stool next to him and waved a bartender over.

"Wacha' havin' Gymp? And god help me if you ask for something cheap, I'll slap the shit out of ya'. "

Gymp looked over to her and shrugged.

"Thought I at least left ya with a nose for good stuff." Gymp made a move to speak and she waved a hand at him. Turning her attention to the bartender in front of her.

"A bottle of Whiskey. Top shelf. No home brew." She placed the chip down on the counter with an audible click. "Pack of ciggs. "

The bartender nodded and walked away. Wylie turned her attention back to the little man at the bar.

"So Gymp, she leaned over. How's tricks?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad. You've grown since the last time I saw you." Gymp ran his tongue over his lips and stared down at her cleavage.

Wylie ran her hand under the smaller man's chin and pulled his head up." I'm up here Gymp." She pointed to her eyes.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

The bartender came back with a bottle of Ara whiskey and a pack of cigs with two shot glasses. Wylie uncorked the bottle and breathed deeply a smile spreading across her wide lips. She reached for the shot glasses and poured liberal amounts in each. She pushed one in front of Gymp and grabbed two cigs. lighting both ciggs she handed one to Gymp.

"I don't smoke." He said.

"You do when you're with me Gymp. You know the rules."

He threw back the shot and pulled on the cigg. Gymp began hacking immediately.

Wylie clapped him on the back.

"You're gonna' be the death of me." He said looking tired.

"Not the first man to say it Gymp. Definitely not the last. You got the codes?"

"Yup." Gymp said in a strangled voice. "Fresh from the fuckers' database. Should be good for a week or so. He rolls them over every Thursday." Gymp rummaged around in his pocket producing a small slip of paper with several sets of numbers on it. He placed it on the bar and pushed it towards Wylie. Gymp nodded as she picked it up and stared at the paper. He began to pour himself another shot.

He swallowed grimacing and poured her one. "Now we discuss payment. Whatcha' got?"

"Several credit chips and…"Gymp began to sake his head. "No? What do you mean no?"

"Took me a lot of sweat and muscle to get the codes Wylie. A couple of credit chips ain't gonna' do it."

"What did you have in mind?" She knew it was an open ended question but she had to ask.

"You know how long it's been since…" Wylie pulled down her glasses and gave him a dirty look. Unhindered Gymp moved a small shaking hand up her leg.

"Fucking Christ Gymp." Wylie growled. "How many times do I?…" she stopped in mid sentence at the look on Gymp's face.

"Shit. I didn't offend your religion did I Gymp?" "Christ." " You change convictions like you change underwear." She stopped thinking over her words. "All right maybe not the best analogy but still." She took another shot.

Gymps face was still horrified.

"Don't get all sanctimonious on me Gymp. Look I'm sorry."

Gymp pointed and began to mumble.

"Wha?" Wylie said a turned on her stool coming face to face with a very angry Riddick.

"Don't like it when people touch what's mine."

He leaned towards Gymp.

"Hello Wylie." He said with out sparing her a second glance. "Thought you had bigger fish to fry?" "This," he said pointing at Gymp. "Is not bigger."

……………………………….......................................................................................................................

Wylie pulled Riddick to the other side of the bar looking at him.

"What are you doing here Riddick?"

Riddick hadn't taken his eyes off Gymp. "Taking a friends advice and going out to get a drink ." He ground out slowly. "_Imagine _my surprise to see you here with that little shit touching you."

"Jealous?" She asked

Riddick grunted. "Tell me why you left."

"None of your business Riddick."

"I could make it my business. Tell.Me." He said coldly looking at her.

"I came to get the codes for Vesta 5."

Shock spread over his handsome features for a moment then his face became impassive again.

"Goin' back hunh?"

"Yeah but on my own terms."

"Got balls kid." He said smirking.

"Figured I'd take out Rosemond. Its one less person I have to keep looking over my shoulder for."

"So who's the guppy?"

"Gymp. He's a hacker and info man I met on the inside. Petty shit really. Not the killin' type." She said out of the corner of her mouth as she lit a cigg.

Riddick looked down. Leaning over slowly he whispered into her ear. "Have a good time last night?" He moved back to look into her eyes watching her face color.

She blew out the smoke slowly. "It was adequate." She laughed and winked at Riddick.

He growled. "So do I kill him now or later?"

"Kill who?" Wylie asked.

"The guppy." he pointed his chin to Gymp.

"Why?" She asked.

"Told you I don't like people touchin' what's mine." He ran his finger around the collar of the duster.

"Yours hunh? When did that happen?" She took another drag off the cigg.

"When I saw you fightin' the merks in the ally on Helion Prime."

"Was that before or after you tried to shiv me in the bed at the hotel?"

"Before." He said lowly.

She laughed and looked at Riddick. "You sure have a funny way of takin' care of what's yours. " She flicked the cigg to the ground and ground it out under the heel of her boot. Wylie walked over to the bar and scooped up the bottle off of it to the dismay of Gymp. She walked past Riddick with the bottle in her hand and leaned over to his ear.

"If you would like to know your "possession", she said angrily "will be outside drinking." She stalked away and out of the heavy doors; slamming them behind her,

Sorry so short. More on the way. Thanks everyone for the reviews.


	11. Animal

Where does he get this shit from? What's his? Like I'm his Fuckin' ship or shiv or goggles. Bullshit. I didn't know that I was a stray puppy under the need of someone's protection.

Wylie looked down angrily at the bottle of Ara in her hand. She gripped the neck in her hand tight enough to turn the knuckles white. Wylie walked around the porch and found a quiet patch of railing and boosted herself on it, resting her back against the dingy wall. Taking a long swig from the bottle she winced as the liquor burned down into her throat and into her belly making tendrils of heat curl up there.

Why should he care? Just another con like him. Looking to live.

She moved her hand through the deep pocket of the duster she was wearing and pulled out her cigs taking one from the pack and lit it. She took a deep drag and exhaled the smoke into the hot night sky; thinking.

I will not get attached. I will not have feelings. Who am I fuckin' kidding? I've turned him into some fucking hero in my mind years ago. The truth is not nearly as satisfying as the fantasy. Sure Wylie, he's handsome in that dark, kill you when you're not looking kinda' way. Don't even think of his body.

She felt heat rush to her face. It had nothing to do with the booze.

God almighty what a body. Stop it Wylie. Stop torturing yourself. He's not yours as much as you would like to wish it.

Wylie ran a hand through her long hair pushing it back from her face.

Fuck. Why me?

………………………………........................................................................................................................

Riddick ordered another shot from the passing bartender and pointed to Wylie's chip at the end of the bar.

The bartender nodded as Riddick swallowed the clear burning liquor. His eyes followed the bartender as he picked up the chip and they lingered over the small man there.

Gymp. That was his Fuckin' name wasn't it?

He pushed back from the bar and walked over to the smaller man chuckling inwardly at the look on his face as he moved towards him. Riddick placed a large hand on Gymp's shoulder and squeezed causing him to gasp.

"Gymp right?" Riddick asked lowly.

'Y-Yes." Gymp stammered his eyes growing wider.

'Hear you're an inside man. Code man, someone who can hack. You trustworthy?" Riddick squeezed harder.

Gymp shook his head up and down violently.

Riddick released his shoulder and pulled the empty seat next to him sitting on it. He looked Gymp squarely in the eyes pushing the goggles up over the top of his head. Riddick let Gymp get a good look at the reflective silver gaze.

"Wouldn't want the codes you gave Wylie to be fake." He said flatly tilting his head to one side.

Gymp swallowed convulsively. "N-No their not."

"Be a shame if something happened to her. Might make me mad. I don't like bein' mad. You won't like it either."

The warning was clear.

Gymp swallowed again. "Y-Y-Youre Riddick." He said quietly.

Riddick nodded. "So you think she can do it?'

Gymp calmed visibly. Glad that the giant of a man who was sitting next to him had changed the subject off of him.

"I don't know. If there was anyone who could do it she would be the one. I've seen what she can do. It's never been pretty."

"Really?" Riddick said interested. "What can she do?"

Gymp shook his head. "She wouldn't want me to tell. I won't tell. Wylie would be pissed.'

"Tell me." He said slowly.

"There is _too _much to tell. Let's say that she belongs in a Slam. I don't think it's safe for her to be out."

"It's not safe for any of us to be out." Riddick agreed. "You're still not telling me."

"Why are you so interested? "

Riddick shrugged. "Right now she's outside drinking; I know better than to come between a fuckin' Vestuvian and their bottle."

"Buy me a drink and I'll tell you."

Riddick waved the bartender over. Ordered two drinks and looked back to Gymp.The bartender sat two glasses on the bar and walked away. Gymp reached out and grabbed the cool glass in his hands pulling it to his mouth with trembling hands.

He cleared his throat.

"On Vesta 5 all the guards have a game. They label all the cons or their favorite with a name that least fits. Understand?"

Riddick shook his head.

"For example." He continued. "I would be called brave, obviously I'm not. You would be weak. Do you know what they called Wylie?"

Riddick thought for a minute. "No." He finally said.

"Shalom. Do you know what that means?" He went on without looking at Riddick. "It means peace. It was because she was so violent." He shook his head staring into his drink.

"I can still remember the day they brought her in. I was working for Rozemond at the time doing comp work. I can still see her standing in the room with Rozemaond after he brought her in. She looked so _small, so_ beaten. She had the shakes so bad she could barely keep her feet. Rozemond decided to remove her bonds. Being the practical man that he was he granted her a days rest before he started _entertaining _her. So, he had me call for the guards to take her to a cell. A private cell he had specified because he didn't want anyone getting to her before he did. "

"Three guards came to pick her up. She made it to her cell all right. But, no guards came back. When they went to look for the missing guards we found them all dead in her cell. One had both his eyes poked out with her fingers. The other two looked like they had been knocked out with their own Gaph sticks. But that wasn't the worst. Wylie had pulled the pants off of one of the guards and had used the wire inlay on the side of the uniform to garrote all three of them as they came around. We could tell because there were claw marks on all of their necks where they had struggled to pull the wire from around it; before she decapitated them."

"That," he said quietly "was her first day." "After that she became so violent we had to send Rozemond to get her. We would trank her, bind her, and then move her. When she wasn't with Rozemond we would keep her in solitary where the guards would feed her through a tiny slit in the front of the cell. After a while Rozemond thought he had broken her enough so that she would be a good guard. She became the most vicious of them. But he was stupid. The look in her eyes could tell you he had done _nothing_ to her. Her spirit was alive and well waiting for someone to slip. The animal inside her was just biding its time. She was the first I had ever met."

"The first what?" Riddick Growled.

'Human with an animal brain." Gymp said taking a steadying drink from his glass. "And you're the second. I thought god in his infinite wisdom was smart enough to break the mold when he made her. Obviously I was wrong. "

'And Rozemond wasn't an animal?"

Gymp laughed. 'No, He was just a different kind. His obsession had made him an animal. His lust had made him animalistic. He wasn't born to it. To truly be an animal, I think it has to be in you all along. "

Gymp pushed his chair back from the bar and tossed back the rest of his drink. He turned and slowly walked around Riddick.

"Yeah," Gymp said quietly. "She can do it. She's animal enough."

………………………………............................................................................................................................

Riddick peered around the corner of the porch looking at Wylie. She sat quietly on the railing looking at the star filled sky.

Riddick walked up putting both hands on the railing.

"So what brings you out here?" Wylie asked sardonically.

"Wondering if you finished you're bottle or not."

Wylie picked up the bottle and shook it at Riddick. There was less that an inch of amber liquid left at the bottom.

"Planning on finishing it alone Shalom?"

Wylie's eyes narrowed. "I see there was a little friggin' birdie singing' away inside the bar."

"Nice name." Riddick laughed. "Mind if I use it?"

"Yeah. I do. So did ya' come out here to try and piss me off or what?"

"No. came out here to find out if you needed a way over to Vesta 5."

"Riddick," she said curtly. "I can find my own way."

He shrugged. "You're choice."

Wylie reached over and passed Riddick the bottle. "If I said yes. You would think I was weak."

Riddick raised an eyebrow a he tilted the bottle back. "No," he said wiping the back of his hand over his full lips. "I would think you were practical, since I know you haven't had enough time to steal another ship and it might take you a while."

Wylie laughed. "I told you; you never miss a trick do ya?"

Riddick stared at her. He handed the bottle back to Wylie and turned. "Are you comin'?"

Wylie hopped down off the railing and walked over to Riddick. "As long as you don't try any more of you're possessive shit we'll be fine."

Riddick looked down at her noting the animal glint in her eye. "Sure Shalom. Anything ya' want." He moved his head down to hers and kissed her harshly, full on the mouth.

Wylie glared up at him giving him a dirty look.

He threw back his head and laughed drawing everyone's attention from around the porch.

"You're an asshole Riddick". Wylie said angrily letting the fury leak out from behind her eyes.

"Don't I know it." He said growling.

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More on the way.


	12. Fear

_Fear, its all something we go through. I once heard it said that the lack of fear was the trademark of a foolish man. Fear can be an animal all its own and just as deadly as any vicious beast. It can wrap its cold hands around you and choke the life out of ya slowly. Causing your mind to shut off just when you need it the most. It's a very strong man or woman who can stop that panic from rising up and paralyzing them. But it's programmed into all of us. Gods little personal joke. The joke that says when you need to run your legs drop out from under you. _

_Inspiring fear, well that's a totally different thing. It's a heady sensation, almost Devine. The fact that you can cause utter panic in someone and see it in their eyes and smell it on their skin. As much as we humans like to say that we are superior to animals, well were really not. Fear is a very primitive emotion. It separates the men form the boys shall we say. For the first time in a very long time I was feeling that way. Scared. And I fuckin' hated it. _

_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………_

They both walked from the bar in companionable silence for a few blocks. Wylie was busy looking at the streets as they passed by them on the way to the docking station. They reached the outside of the building a few minutes later.

"Riddick, hold up a minute will ya?" Wylie said

Riddick kept his unhurried pace down the brightly lit hallway. "Why?' He grumbled moving forward.

'Got stuff in a locker that I need to get. Look I'll meet with ya back at the ship.'

"Fine." Riddick said curtly walking away.

_Wonder what crawled in his ass and died? _Wylie shrugged and walked around the corner to the dark orange holding lockers.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Riddick turned at the sound of Wylies heavy boots hitting the metal deck of the cruiser. She tossed her bag onto the floor and watched it as it slid into a corner.

"We fueled and ready to go?" She asked quietly.

"Yup." Riddick said quickly.

"Riddick what's in you're ass?"

Riddick raised an eyebrow and smiled out of the corner of his mouth. He shook his head as he sat back into the captains chair and threw the switches for the diagnostic, fuel and nav computer and pulled out his shiv; spinning the point on his fingertip playing with it.

She spun the co-pilot seat around sitting in it and kicked off causing her to spin.

"Riddick. You don't have to take me. I'd fuckin' prefer if you didn't."

He looked out the window for a minute letting Wylie's words sink in. He toyed with the shiv idly.

"Maybe." He said menacingly. " I don't want you to go, maybe," he continued. "I think you're just some fuckin' glory hound trying to be Billy bad ass when your not. Maybe you're gonna' get your ass stuck knee deep in merks and cops and slam cons and get yourself swallowed whole. Get yourself ghosted." He said grumbling still looking out the window.

Wylie looked at him angrily. "Nice to see you have such a high fuckin'opinion of me Riddick."

"Just speakin' the truth. Hurts don't it?" He continued to play with the shiv.

Wylie shook her head, her long hair trailing on either side of her face. "I'm not letting him come for me again."

"And who the fuck says he will? He's gonna' go back to his safe little slam and lick his fuckin' wounds, just like the little bitch that he is."

Wylie turned her head hearing the nav computer come on line. She moved the seat forward to look into the screen. Pressing the coordinates to Vesta 5. There were a series of clicks and whistles. Wylie squinted her eyes against the bright light emitted from the screen. Riddick's hand moved over the screen blocking her view. Wylie looked up blinking.

"I'm goin' with you." He finally said looking at her.

"The fuck you are!" Wylie said loudly. "This is my fight. Mine. Not yours or the little fuckin' boy down the lane or the butcher, baker or goddamn candlestick maker. Mine. It's personal Riddick. I'm not havin' you come in there. What if the worst does happen Riddick? What if I do get ghosted? I don't want the added weight on my already decaying conscience that you got stuck in there or killed cause' of me. No." She shook her head. "I would much rather you meet you're fucking maker on your own terms not because you followed me into the lions den."

Riddick laughed. He moved his hand from in front of the nav screen and leaned back in his chair. He moved his muscular arms over his head.

"All right." Wylie sighed tapping the side of the comp. "We've got about thirty minutes in route." She looked over to Riddick. "We doing auto pilot?"

Riddick grunted his reply and flipped the switch. Wylie leaned back as she felt the engines of the cruiser gather underneath the vessel for take off.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Wylie moved to the back of the cabin grabbing the bag she had tossed on the floor earlier. She pulled several things out of it as Riddick spun the chair looking at her. Wylie looked up.

"What?" She said as she shrugged off the duster and let it drop on the floor into a pool.

Riddick's eyes roamed over her as she leaned down grabbing several large straps off the floor and began fastening them around the muscular curve of her calf and thigh .Reaching into the bag again she rummaged for a moment coming back up with three large blades all over a foot long. She began grabbing the magnetic ties on the straps and folding the knives into them. Running another set of straps up both of her arms she pulled one of them tight with a faint popping sound. She moved the arms and squatted making the material of the straps groan.

Riddick stood grabbing her arm and turned her quickly. Wylie's back was pressed against his massive chest. She felt one of his arms brush her shoulder causing her to shiver.

"Move your arm back." He said in her ear causing the small hairs at the nape of her neck to sway.

Wylie moved her arm behind her and swallowed.

Riddick grabbed the strap form the other arm and began to tighten it jerking her arm as he did so. She could feel him bend over grabbing the final straps off the floor. The ones that moved from hr shoulders down her back and chest to each leg where they hooked in with the other two on her thigh. She could feel the muscle of his chest bulge as he moved to unroll the strap. It hit the floor with a thunk as it came unrolled.

Riddick grabbed her shoulders spinning her around; her face coming eye level with his chest. Riddick moved his hand up to her shoulder pushing the strap through the loop at the top of the arm. He ran his hand lightly over her breast causing it to harden at the touch. Replaceing his hand with the strap he quickly attached it to another magnetic holder under her arm. He skimmed her stomach slowly kneeling in front of her running the strap into the other that ended at her thigh. Riddick looked up at her taking in her face. She looked down letting her dark hair spill in a curtain around her pale face. Riddick moved his large hand up her thigh causing the shiny, skintight leather to dimple where he touched it.

"Nice." Riddick said feeling the muscle of her thigh bulge as he squeezed it. Running his hand down to her knee he nudged it to the side causing her to shift her stance. Riddick moved his hand slowly back up her leg to the junction in-between moving his thumb lightly over it. Wylie's eyes widened feeling every move of his finger through the tight material of the pants.

Riddick ran his arm between her legs reaching around the back of her leg to tighten the strap there. As he did she could feel the muscle of his arm move and bulge against the sensitive v of her legs . She tilted her head back luxuriating in the feel that the intimate contact provided.

Riddick stood suddenly grabbing the other strap and buckling it quickly.

He reached out using both of the straps that ran the length of her body as handles; pulling her off balance and into his chest.

"I like these." He said seductively as he ran both of his hands up the backside of the straps letting his knuckles graze lightly over her nipples.

A metallic whine and a beep caused both of their heads to turn towards the cockpit.

"Now interring the outer gravity belt of Vesta 5 touchdown on planet surface in three minutes." A disembodied voice from the cockpit said.

"Shit ." Wylie said running a slightly shaking hand through her hair pushing it back from her face.

_Not enough time; I didn't get to tell him.___

Riddick released her straps letting his hands fall to his sides. She turned and reached into the bag once again pulling out a padded leather jacket and a pair of gloves. She slipped both of them on and wrapped her arms around herself stretching the leather.

Riddick reached behind him pulling out his shiv. He grabbed one of Wylie's hands putting the cool blade in them.

"What's this?" Wylie looked down into her hands. __

"My shiv." Riddick growled looking Wylie in the eye. He grabbed her head pulling her face close to his. Riddick ran his lips over hers lightly pushing his tongue between them. Wylie opened her mouth and pushed her tongue into his. He growled pulling her head closer to his with crushing strength; moving one hand from her head he wrapped one around her waist crushing her into his body. The both stayed locked in the embrace, hearts pounding until they felt the ship hit solid ground. Wylie pushed back from Riddick looking intently into his face.

Riddick walked over to the cockpit and mashed in a button causing the bay door to drop down and the frigid wind to whirr inside the cruiser.

Wylie walked to Riddick and ran a hand lightly over the side of his face.

"Thank you." she said quietly. She slid Riddick's shiv into the strap at her hip hearing a click as the magnetic holder grasped it. Wylie turned and began to walk down the sloped gangway into the frigid, blowing air.

"Kid." Riddick barked out.

"Yeah?" Wylie answered looking back.

"Don't get ghosted. I don't wanna' have to come back for my shiv."

"Gotcha."

Riddick walked to the edge of the gangway watching as Wylie disappeared into a swirl of snow and biting air. She had left him for the second time that day.

_Question is; was it for good?_

Riddick walked back to the cockpit and lifted the cargo hatch and punched the coordinates for Helion Prime. He let his mind wonder as the cruiser left the gravity of Vesta 5

_There are only a handful of people who had ever had enough balls to impress me. She's one of em'. Do I love her? If I believed in love I might. Would I mourn her if she died? If I mourned yeah. All I know is that with the exception of Jack and Caroline she's the only person I've ever wanted to protect. She's the only one who sees my beast as clearly as I see hers. The only one in this fucked up universe that I've ever given a shit about. Kid. You better not die down there. I hate comin' back to clean house._

"Fuck." He shouted as he slammed his fist into the cockpit controls


	13. Cold

The cold crept into Wylie's bones sheering off any pretence of warmth that she might have had. She looked around her noticing one of the Vesta moons perched low on the horizon glowing like a baneful, blue eye. The wind howled again pushing snow into her face causing it to burn a trail of pins and needles on both cheeks. She shivered inwardly trudging through the drifts and pulled her coat tighter around her. She yawned with alarm. Slapping herself hard across the cheek she reveled in the temporary warmth the rush of blood brought.

Cold. Too many people underestimate it. It lures you into a quiet slumber only to suck the warmth and life out of you. How nice it would be to lay down right here in the snow. Just for a little while. A little nap.

"Snap outta' of it Wylie." She grumbled to herself. "You didn't come this far to die at this pricks doorstep."

She moved on through the snows spotting the lights of the slam up ahead. They glowed like a beacon through the dark, frozen wasteland.

"Cold, cold, mother fucking c-c-cold." She shivered to herself as she pushed through one last drift.

Looking up past the light she noted no one was on the outside wall.

Couldn't blame em'.

She knew that if anything, all the guards were inside monitoring some of the outside walls on closed circuit. The trick was remembering which walls. Wylie squatted in the snow and closed her eyes looking into her memory trying to pull up the plans for the security system.

"Think Wylie, think." She tapped the side of her head with a gloved hand trying to get her brains unfrozen.

The plans came to her in a flash. She could remember them clearly. On walls 2, 6, 8, and 10 there were cameras. Wall seven had a trash chute that led into the inner rings of walls. The "walk" area they had called it. If you would consider going outside in below zero temperatures with no shoes and shirt a relaxing walk than sure. The trash chute she decided would be the best way in. not too many guards would see you coming up through a trash chute. She could go up through there and hit one of the outer loading doors. That's where the code would come in. She could remember going out through the door and needing the code to get back in. Not that the wall wasn't monitored in some small way. There were always guards peeping in and out. Always a stray snitch here or there but, dealing with a stray and gaining a quiet entry was much more preferable than hacking her way through a whole crew of guards armed to the teeth.

Wylie shook herself causing the stray bits of snow and ice that had settled on her to fall slowly off, landing soundlessly in the never-ending drifts.

Its funny how you're whole life comes to one moment. One pinprick of absolute clarity. Almost as if you know this is what you were born to do. As if it has been predestined since you were born. That forces….albeit fucked ones have been pulling the strings and guiding you to this one event. The question that keeps running through my head is…What happens when it's all over? Is that it? Have you served your purpose? And if so; do you continue after that?

Moving just outside the ring of light hat the slam walls put off she rounded the corner of wall seven. The trash chute loomed open like a yawning mouth. Wylie squatted in the snow for a moment noting with alarm that she had stopped shaking; that both her hands and feet had gone numb

Doctors will tell you that the human body is the ultimate survivor. The human anatomy is programmed with a self preservation mechanism. When the core temp of your body gets too cold it shuts off the blood flow to all the extremities. In essence preserving you're core. Making sure that your mind, heart and all you're other vital organs get blood and warmth. You're body could care less if you have arms and legs. Arms and legs are not necessary for survival.

She shook herself out of her grim thoughts scanning the top of the wall for any straggling guards. Seeing none, she moved quickly in a crouch towards the opening. Setting both her hands on either side of the cold, metal opening she noted that it curved up. Looking into it she could see no obstructions and knew it to be a straight shot into the "walk' area .She pushed her head in. Wincing at the slimy cavern that had just engulfed her. Moving her shoulders slightly she pushed in with her legs finding there was enough room to turn and even pull her hands from her sides. She braced her boots on either side of the chute and began to climb slowly.

A few moments later Wylie could see the familiar glimmer of the antiquated halogen lights they used to illuminate the inner walls. She stopped for a minute in the chute; her legs shaking form the exertion it took to keep her precarious grip inside the slick tunnel. Shimmying herself up the rest of the way she came out the other side and crouched in the snow breathing heavily. Quickly she looked around.

Quiet. What the hell is goin' on?

She looked towards the door directly in front of her. Its disuse was immediately obvious. There were several inches of snow piled in front of it and there seemed to be no foot prints around the yard. The observation alarmed Wylie. She reached the cool steel door; ice had incrusted the edges. She smoothed her gloved hand over the control panel. Punching in the number she tilted her head listening to the sound of the lock tumble then release. The door opened with a hushed whisper. Her first observation as she stepped into the inky hall was the overpowering smell of death. Wylie put her gloved hand to her nose suppressing a gag. The smell was beyond horrible it reached to the level of nauseating. Death. Old death, new death. Rotting. She tried breathing out of her mouth the smell had locked itself in her nose. She gagged again pushing herself further into the hallway.

The guard room was to her left. Looking into it she found it abandoned. The video screens flashed intermittently bathing the room in black and white contrast. The door hung open, as if someone was in a hurry to leave. She moved farther into the dark hallway feeling the hairs on the nape of her neck stand on end.

Wylie turned the corner cautiously; pulling out one of her blades as she did so. As she moved towards the holding cells she tripped over something on the floor. The object jarred her out of her thoughts. She bent down. There was a corpse on the floor. By the look of it a few weeks gone. She took her blade and tilted the now rotting head to the side noting the entrance and exit hole of a plasma blast.

Did all the cons revolt? If so where the fuck are they? There is no sound, no footsteps, no yelling, and no noise.

She stepped over the decaying body moving in the direction of Rozemonds quarters_. _Wylie stopped in front of the door to his office. Her nerves were on end. Everything about this was wrong. Her mind screamed at her not to open the door.

Wylie pressed the control on the door. It slid open with a hiss; the sound rang loudly through the deserted hall. She looked in. The room had not changed since the last time she was here. The same black-market Persian rug. The same statuary and the same overstuffed wing-back chair. She strode over the rug gauging each step as she did so. Moving farther into the room she squinted her eyes against a small reading lamp that was next to the chair. She saw something stir.

Moving around the chair, her eyes grew wide at the scene in front of her.

Rozemond sat in the chair. At least what served as Rozemond. His once mighty body was reduced to a skeletal figure. Eyes cloudy and sunken into his skull added to the overall effect. His skin hung in loose flaps around his naked chest. The stench in here was alive. A living breathing thing. She let her eyes roam over the rest of his body. His legs had been loosely draped in a cloth. It did nothing to hide the fact that they had rotted off at the knee laying in a blackened, festering heap at the base of the chair. The infection had moved his way up to his abdomen. She noted the sheen of perspiration on his forehead and over his top lip.

"Come to gloat have you Wylie?" A cracked voice said. The cloudy eyes in the skeletal face rolled up towards hers.

"Good help is so hard to find these days." He laughed. It caused a fit of coughing. He hacked a large black lump up and out of his mouth and spit it to the floor. Blood seeped out of the corner of his lip.

Wylie stood quietly waiting for Rozemond to regain his breath.

"You didn't know?" He tilted his head to the side questioning. The movement made his joints pop with a dry sound. That movement brought on another round of wet laughter.

"I'm guessing that I didnt get any neat fuckin' prizes." She stated sarcastically.

He laughed and shook his head. "Everyone here has Graco plague. Its airborne you know. No cure. I've heard it's similar to leprosy. Fitting that you show up just as the plague should take effect. It's ravenous. It affects the skin working the infection into the inner tissues. I've heard only the very thick skinned can survive."

He cackled madly. "Once infected it takes only a matter of minutes to manifest the first signs. Very painful too. Wondering how I received this little gift? It seems that one of my merks brought it back on the ship with them. "

He moved his head weakly towards her. "Enough about me. I suppose you have come to kill me." Relief shone in his cloudy eyes.

Wylie looked at Rozemond. Listening to his breath rattle in and out of his chest.

"No Rozenond I think this is more fitting than anything I could come up with. Almost justice. Funny how the universe has a way of cleaning itself." Wylie turned and began to walk out of the room.

"You bitch. You bitch. He wheezed. "You never had enough courage to face me. You were always a weak little coward. Just like your mother. And your brother. Simpering little weaklings to the end."

Wylie turned; marching back towards the chair Rozemond sat in. She slammed both her hands down on the arms of the chair and leaned forward.

"I want you to think of me." She said her voice shaking with anger. "Want you to reflect on every fuckin' life you've taken while you slowly rot away. I hope their faces haunt you when you feel the skin side from you body. With no one to hear you cry, no one to slake your thirst, no one to ease your pain."

She glanced down to the table with the lamp on it noting the dull gleam of a knife there. She reached over and picked it up.

"To fuckin' afraid to do yourself Rozemond? How pathetic." She spat. She took the blade and slid it into one of her magnetic holders at her hip.

"I'm going to walk out this door Rozemond. I'm going to take this blade with me. The thought of you're suffering will be something that I will pull around myself at night. Knowing with certainty that the pain you endured in the final days of your life will be pale compared to the grief you inflicted on others. You will cry for god, the devil or any one you can get to listen to you; to ease you're suffering. The hell will be that there will be no one. No. One. "For once in your life," she leaned in close to him. "You will have to face something _alone_. With out guards, guns, or toys." She pointed at his chest. "You are the coward. Afraid to die after hastily delivering all the others before you. There will be no one to save you, or even hold your hand as you cry out for absolution. Its fitting really; that you should be where I was years ago. Alone, scared, in the dark. Instead of the hands of the guards coming for you its just the hands of the people _you_ have sent into the darkness. Clawing at you as your sanity slowly slips. In the dark," she chuckled. "Everyone's sanity slips slowly."

"Does that scare you Rozemond? I know you still believe in god, even if you made him dead to me. You will die with all the sins of you're past weighting down your soul."

She laughed madly; leveling her mercury gaze with his. "Look at me." She shouted.

Rozemond rolled his white glazed eyes to Wylie's face.

"Have you no compassion? No soul?" He said pleadingly.

She tugged on his shoulders causing him to cough uncontrollably.

"No. I have no compassion, no soul." She shrugged. "You made sure of that. Too bad you did such an excellent job. You beat, kicked, whipped and raped it out of me." She cocked her head to the side, eyes glinting coldly; like the eyes of a snake. "I guess you never expected it to come back and bite you in the ass."

"Look at yourself. Oh how the mighty have fuckin' fallen. A scared little prick of a man. Afraid to take his own life. Hoping that someone would do it for you. Why? Because it's a sin? What's one more?" She asked merrily and laughed again. "If there is a god; you fucking bastard, I will not rob him of his revenge." She pushed herself back from the chair violently. Her eyes never left his face.

She turned and walked to the door.

"The fever." He cackled madly. "That will be the first sign. Then the light. It will burn your eyes."

"Fuck you Rozemond." She said and walked through the door. Turning, she hit the panel for the door to close and jammed the knife into it; sending sparks flying into the dark hallway. The door locked with a hissing finality.

'Hey you." A voice echoed down the hallway.

Wylie turned quickly registering where the voice came from.

Two slam guards walked towards her both with filter masks on their face.

"How did you get out?" They raised their plasma guns in unison.

Wylie sprinted around the corner. She took another left heading towards the landing bays. She could hear footsteps dash towards her.

"Catch her. Catch her. No one leaves. Quarantine."

Wylie could feel her breath burning in and out of her lungs. She began to feel icy rivulets of sweat gather at her temples. She turned yet another corner.

She hit the loading bay door with a dull thud. Her vision began to swim in the abnormal heat. With blurred vision she punched in the code with shaking fingers.

The door took what seemed like an eternity to open. Wylie crouched and scuttled under the door as it began to lift from the floor. Her strength almost gave out. She was now sweating profusely. Her arms shook with the effort it took to push herself up from the floor. She gathered her feet underneath her almost tripping and staggered to the first star-jumper she could find. She raced to the back of the jumper her vision and strength were both fading fast. Behind her she could hear muffled shouts.

It was then she felt a sensation that overcame the fever burning in her body. She looked down to see a neat hole in her side. Just to the right of her hip. She stumbled. Grabbing the wound and pressing her hand against it. The world swam in color as she held her gore soaked hand to her face. Using her bloody hand she depressed the button for the bay door to open on the ship. As the inner gears grinded she flattened herself against the hull of the ship trying to focus on the guards coming at her. Another shot tore through her shoulder dimpling the metal behind her with a squeal. The door opened enough for her to climb through. She hoisted herself up and over the dropping door and slid down the inverted gangway. As she reached the bottom she mashed the button the gears came to a grinding halt and the back of the jumper shuddered; reversing gears and closing the back of the ship.

Wylie gathered the last of her strength limping to the front of the ship and hitting the nav controls. Her vision was too blurred to do much else but set a course to the shipping lanes. Hitting the ignition she felt the ship pull itself from the ground and move out of the hanger. Weakly she steered the ship out of Vesta 5's atmosphere.

She looked down and fell to her knees noting the rhythmic sound her own blood was making on the steel deck of the ship.

Sounds like rain.

Moving her hand to her hip she felt the burning liquid that was tumbling between her fingers. The pain was subsiding leaving her with a tingling emptiness; like a vessel that has just had its contents poured out. Moving her head slowly her vision distorted causing the inside of the ship to look like a watercolor. Everything seemed so disconnected, so far away. She could see an abstract of her ashen face reflected in the pool of quickly congealing blood.

She fought to keep her eyes open, feeling the heat behind them. Her consciousness swam in waves. Her lids closed once, twice and then shut out the burning light.

Fuck you Riddick you were right.

She breathed heavily as she slumped over falling into pool of her own cooling blood.

………………………………............................................................................................................................

Riddick looked into the mutli vid screen on Helion Prime.

"This just in." The announcer spoke in a detached voice. "Vesta 5 has been designated a plague planet."

Riddick's eyes squinted taking in the grainy images displayed on the monitor. Pictures flashed in rapid succession showing one horror after the next. His eyes roamed over the images looking to recognize any of the indistinct blobs.

"Flights coming to Vesta 5 are now asked to immediately change course. Anyone transporting prisoners are asked to detour to Crematoria or Butcher Bay. There are no reported survivors. Clean up crews have now entered the atmosphere and are set to deploy nuclear explosives. Vesta 5 Triple max will be scheduled for reopening in one year's time. In other news…"

Riddick pressed his large hand to the Vid screen; it slowly streaked down where it came to rest at his side. He shook his head and turned away.


	14. Act 2

Act 2

Summery/Disclaimer: This part of the story takes place during the end and after the Chronicles of Riddick. Lovers of Jack/Kyra/Riddick please don't shoot me. _puts hands over her head waiting for a screaming mob to pelt her with large stones_ As usual I have taken creative license with the story, warped it just a little and used I for my own selfish story telling purposes. Don't jump up and down or scream if the story doesn't follow the book/movie exactly. You have been forewarned.

As always, I don't own Jack/ Caroline/ Riddick, the Necro's or any of the other characters from the Riddick/Pitch Black universe. Wylie is mine and mine alone. My little brain child.

Also, once again thanks to everyone out there who gave me the confidence to do this.

………………………………....................................................................................................................

You keep what you kill. The words rang hollow in Riddick's ears.

Riddick stared out into the Necro throne room looking at all the supplicated, bowing heads. The room seemed cold and empty, lifeless. Just like Jacks body lying at the foot of his throne.

My throne, mine. It's not fuckin' worth it. I'd shove it down their fuckin' throats if it would bring Jack back for one minute.

He threw back his head and laughed bitterly, looking out into the crowd noting all the fearful eyes that looked his way with out moving their heads.

And I thought I was gonna' be the one who eventually killed off all the people I cared about. Every one is gone. Teaches me to get attached to fuckin' people. When I do they all die. Funny sometimes I wish it were me instead. God, you fuck. Why not me? I failed all of you. Caroline, Imam, Wylie, Jack. Every fuckin' one of you.

He moved his eyes down to Jacks ruined body and swallowed past a bellow of rage in his throat. He could feel the waves of hot anger clawing right behind his lips to be let out. His hands still tingled with Jacks fading warmth. His mind clung to the memory of curling her in his hands. At the look of fear in her eyes. His mind flashed to the young girl imitating him on that shit hole of a planet they crashed on. How her eyes shone up at him with adoration. Riddick looked down disgusted and wiped his hands on the arms of the throne.

Her eyes are closed for fuckin' ever now. Kid, I told you it wasn't safe with me. I told you all it wasn't safe.

Riddicks anger was swiftly building in him. He gripped the arms of the metal throne squeezing into them. The metal whined under the duress.

Why in the fuck couldn't you listen to me? Why in the fuck couldn't you stay away? Now you're ghosted. A useless pile of flesh.

The anger, hate, and anguish poured out of Riddicks mouth in a primal roar. He stood from the throne and grabbed the bench of the metal chair. The muscles in his large back strained as he wrenched the symbol of Necromonger rulership up off its dais and flung it into the group of kneeling supplicants. He turned hearing the shriek of people who were not fast enough to get out of the crushing weight of the throne.

"Lord Marshall, Lord Marshall, where are you going?" A quiet voice from behind Riddick asked as he paced through the crowd of still groveling people.

Riddick turned quickly on the little voice. He let the heat of his anger shine in his eyes.

"Leave me the .Fuck. Alone."

The smaller man at least was smart enough to step back.

"But, but, sir. I-I need to show you your quarters. The ship. You must get fitted with proper military regalia. You need to give you're people direction."

"My people?" He bellowed; pointing a finger into the middle of the smaller mans chest almost toppling him over. "The last of "my people" are lying dead at the foot of that throne back there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and looked down to the little man. "You're people did that."

"Sir, with all respect. They are you're people now."

"What's you're name? Little man." Riddick asked angrily as he kept walking away from the throne room.

"Drysis. Sir." He said meekly.

"Drysis," Riddick growled out quickly turning on the man trailing in his footsteps.

"When I tell you to leave me the fuck alone I mean it." Riddicks massive hands wrapped in the material on the front of the robes Drysis was wearing; lifting him off his feet. Riddicks voice dropped an octave. He spoke very slowly. "Where are my quarters?"

Drysis swallowed convulsively and pointed.

"Good." The word sounded guttural coming from Riddicks full lips.

"Listen closely Drysis. I'll only say this once. Make sure you pay attention because if anyone fucks this up I will personally ghost them myself. Take Jacks body. Casket it. Or whatever you do. I don't want her fucked with. I don't want her tampered with. Take it to where _you're people_ keep their dead and give her a place of honor."

"B-But, Sir. Lord Marshall, Um. I." Riddick cut him off with a look. He shook him violently causing his dangling feet to sway drunkenly.

"I want you to give her a place of honor. I want you to do it now. Do you _understand?"_

Drysis nodded so violently Riddick thought his head would fall off. "Lord Marshall. What of the units on the face of Helion Prime?"

"Pull them off. Have them come back to the ship." Riddick released Dysis suddenly, causing him to slide down the wall. He turned just as quickly and moved off in the direction of his quarters.

"Sir?" Drysis called out cautiously. His eyes followed Riddicks large frame silhouetted in the floor lights of the ships hall.

Riddick didn't turn, but Drysis heard his growling voice. "Leave me alone Drysis."

"Yes sir." Drysis said quietly and turned as he shook his head; he knew the chaos the burial of the young girl was going to cause. Especially when they found out where the new Lord Marshall wanted her buried. Burial on the ship was reserved only for past Lord Marshal's. So that the people could go and gain courage from their inspired rules. The marshal's mates were not even buried with them. The thought of placing a traitor in their midst would not sit well with the public. Some days he hated his station.

………………………………..............................................................................................................

Her skin was peeling off her as she looked down. It was falling into roped heaps reveling flashes of cream colored bone beneath. She writhed in anguish feeling the fever burn through her with ravenous speed.

"Now you will join me." A gurgling voice stated behind her.

She swiveled her head feeling the vertebra in her neck pop from the lack of moisture in her body as she did so.

Rozemonds skull cackled at her his fish-belly white eyes rolled wetly in his rotting sockets as he laughed. His breath smelled like the grave.

Some things never change. His breath still stinks. If I'm dead this really fuckin' sucks. I'm still stuck with this asshole.

Rozemonds skeletal hand reached for her shoulder. Wylie could see the strips of dried flesh flutter like paper as he moved his hand to her. She stepped back instinctively. A scream locked stubbornly behind her parched lips.

She woke with a start feeling the perspiration cooling on her already. Her dreams were always the same. Like always she woke before Rozemond had a chance to touch her. She groaned as she swung her feet off the edge of the bunk she was on. Her bare feet touched the floor with a quiet thunk.

It had been three weeks since the trawler Tucana had found her own ship floating in the lanes. After attempting to contact the ship several times the twelve man crew had decided that the ship was abandoned and pulled her in. She could still remember the light from the inside of the ship flooding her eyes. Her panic as they picked her up and took her into the ships med lab.

When she had woke several days later to the sound of the beeps and whines of the medical equipment she saw a large, dark man at the foot of the bed who had introduced himself as Captain Cordin. He proceeded to fill her in about the state of herself and the ship when they had pulled it in. Wylie had tried to speak to tell him of the plague and how contagious it was. The captain would hear nothing of it. He shook his head at her feeble attempts at communication and pointed out to her that they had already run a battery of diagnostics on her and yes, that they were aware that she had come in contact with Graco plague. He questioned her briefly on other things and then in a kind but stern voice had ordered her to sleep.

Wylie popped her neck and grabbed her grease stained jumper off the peg that it hung on. She sat back on the bed pulling it up around her legs. She looked down to her body with unease. The injuries from the plasma gun coupled with the effects of the flesh-eating Graco plague had caused her skin to mend at almost a human rate of speed. Wylie shook her head. The only way she had survived was the "gift" her dad had programmed into her. The plague had not been able to burrow its way deep into her tissue because of the accelerated speed in which her skin healed. Unfortunately the plague had used up her resources when it came to healing, leaving holes in her memory from the fever that ran unchecked for days and a few new scars to add to her collection. She ran her hands over her thighs and stomach feeling the scars that couldn't be seen under the skin as well. After waking up in the med-lab she had noted the feel of her body had changed as well. The skin was still pale, soft and supple. The layers underneath that felt like steel bands stretched tightly. Almost like velvet laid over a rock.

Days after that when she had finally convinced the captain that she could be useful she was working underneath one of the ships when a mechanic had dropped a large piece of steel he was using too patch a hole in the hull of one of the ships. The razor edge of the metal brushed over the muscle of her forearm. She had winced knowing the cut would be deep. Looking at her arm she had found nothing there, as if the skin had become a scarred tough hide that was resistant to cuts. Similar experimentation had the same results.

Dragging the zipper up the front she grabbed her long hair from underneath the collar of the uniform. She had been helping the crews repair some of the ships that they had hauled in. Working as a mechanic would not have been her first choice of careers but, she felt indebted to captain "c" as he liked to be called; for taking a risk and bringing her on his ship. The work was hard, menial and tiresome, but it helped her regain a lot of the strength she had lost.

Wylie finished zipping up the jumper and walked out of her cabin.

She rounded to corner looking into the galley seeing that C was already at the table reading something and drinking a steaming cup of tea.

"Good to see you're up Wylie." C said in a lilting sing-song accent. C didn't look up from the pages he was reading.

"I need you to go down and help Tommy and Rook put the gravity simulator in that piece of shit we hauled in yesterday. I want it ready in two days. Were gonna' drop it off to a buyer on Helion Prime."

"Helion Prime?"

The reports had come across the comm and through the mass media. Helion Prime had been the latest target in a series of brutal planetary takeovers by a group calling themselves Necromongers. According to the latest reports for some unknown reason the forces had pulled back and all hostilities had ceased.

Leave it to C to figure out some way to make money off this.

"Yes silly girl. I didn't stutter. There are a lot of people down there needing new ships and repairs. That is the business I'm in."

Wylie turned to march out the door.

"Wylie?"

"Yeah C?"

"I see you finally took my advice and braided all that long hair of yours to keep it out of your face. It looks good. "

Wylie ran her fingers through the myriad of tiny braids hinging from her scalp. "Thanks." She grumbled as she walked down the hall.

She laughed quietly to herself, she liked it here. The guys gave her a minimum of shit and didn't ask questions. C for all his grumpiness and bellyaching was a good guy.

Wylie hit the air lock on the garage and walked in. Turning, she grabbed a welding mask and a torch off the wall and walked over to where Tommy and Rook were arguing over the best way to put in a hydraulic pump for the loading door. Wylie rolled her eyes. It was gonna' be a long day.

………………………………...........................................................................................................................

Halfway across the galaxy Riddick pushed his frame back onto a large if uncomfortable bed. He closed his eyes willing the sleep that had eluded him for the past days to come. He moved his steely forearm over his goggled eyes trying to block out the dim light to the room.

You are not with me jack. You're not here at all. You were supposed to be strong. Instead you let me down kid. Went and got yourself ghosted. And for what kid? For me. Don't you know it should have been you. It shoulda' been you that lived. Not me. Not me. Now I'm here livin' with the ghost of the little girl and that beautiful woman you grew up to be. Livin' with a lota' ghosts lately. All of em' just as bad as the next.

Riddick rolled over trying to get the voice in his head to shut up.

You left me Riddick! A voice in his head yelled. _How could you? You dropped me off like baggage at Imam's feet. When all I wanted was to stay with you. And now, I'm dead because of it._

Riddick put his hands over his ears trying to block out the sound of Jack's voice.

"You wanna' piece of me Jack?" Riddick said angrily to the air. "Step in fuckin' line. There's a lot of people in front of ya."

There was a knock at the door.

"I said leave me alone Drysis." Riddick roared. 

The little man was really beginning to piss him off.

A dark feminine head peeped into the room.

"Good evening Lord Marshall." A sultry voice said.

Riddick looked at Dame Vaako's form silhouetted in the dim light.

"What?" Riddick asked curtly.

"I thought I could persuade you to change the course of your thoughts from the silly slip of a girl in the throne room." She moved her hands down over the curve of the form-fitting outfit she was in and looked at Riddick from beneath her eyelashes.

"Thought wrong." Riddick ground out.

"Are you sure, Lord Marshall that there is no way I could be of _service _to you? She asked suggestively.

Riddick thought for a moment, he held Dame Vaako partially responsible for the events that had taken place. He knew why she was here. There was nothing that excited her like power. Riddick reached slightly behind him feeling the handle of his shiv resting comfortingly in the small of his back.

"On second thought." he said lowly. Dame Vaako smiled beatifically and walked towards the bed.

A little blood shed might take his mind off of things after all.


	15. Memory

__

A lot of things have been runnin' in my head lately. Some of em' include the fact that for three friggin' weeks my memory's been dodgy. There are great big gapin' holes in it. Kinda' like a piece of lace or a rusty piece of metal that someone has held to the light. It's not a total loss. I know who I am. Where I grew up and that I'm a wanted felon. I know why I was on that ice cube of a planet. Rozemond. And I can still remember what that walkin' pile of shit did to me. Bitter much? Who me? But there are places that the memory gets a little hazy round the edges. I know there was someone with me. Someone I should be looking for. Someone who in my dreams has large hands and a sinful voice. I don't know, maybe I made him up. But then again, I really don't think my imagination is that good.

Wylie looked out the window of the Tucana. The surface of Helion prime loomed below. She covered a smile discreetly. Looking into space her smile faded being replaced by a solemn expression

__

And then there's the shit that scares the hell outta' me. The dreams the bloody, horrifying dreams. It feels as if there is a monster hidin' down in the pit of my soul. Sometimes; in my dreams it comes up for breath. It seems to be doin' that more and more lately. Like the fever caused some sort of short circuit in my head. Like all the pieces were scattered around and their bumpin' up against each other up there. My monster likes chaos. It lets him slip his chains for a while. He whisper's things in my ear that I shouldn't hear. Dark things, primal things, things that would make a solider cringe. But, maybe, just maybe when and if I get all my memory back I'll remember whether or not I always carried around this monster with me.

Wylie lit a cigg and looked back out the window; her smoke curled lazily off the plexi-plastic making gray and white transparent dragons.

__

C says that he had amnesia once. Says it only a matter of time until I remember what it was that I forgot. That something will trigger my memory. I hope that I didn't forget something really important. Like I left the toaster plugged in.

Wylie laughed causing the men around her to focus their attention on her.

The engines rumbled underneath the ship causing it to sway comfortingly back and forth.

Rook sat next to her. "Almost ready to drop this piece of shit off." he said. Whatcha' gonna' spend you're cut on?"

"Cut?"

"Yeah." He said slowly. "Credits. What are you gonna' spend them on?"

She chuckled pulling on the greasy, stained front of her work coveralls. "Probably some new clothes. I don't really think these do anything for me."

"Aw, come on Wylie. I think you look sexy as hell." Rook winked at her.

The Tucana landed with a loud thump and the grav gears hissed loudly sending out clouds of steam as they released pressure.

All thirteen of the crew plus the captain walked slowly down the ramp.

C waved everyone over.

"I want everyone to be careful." He yelled over the top of the hissing gears. "There is still a lot of Necro's crawlin' around down here. Plus it's a war zone. don't wonder too far off from each other. We have some time to burn before this asshole comes to pick up his ship. If you want to go shopping or anything don't do it here. We'll be porting on one of the secondary Helion planets later today."

Everyone nodded in agreement and scattered like leaves in the wind anyway.

C rolled his eyes and shook his head. As Wylie walked in the direction she saw both Tommy and rook take.

Wylie looked around her expecting to see Rook or Tommy or someone else from her crew. The streets remained eerily quiet. Wylie shrugged knowing that both the guys had taken off to find the nearest brothel. She remembered hearing both of them complain about the long stints without a woman in deep space. Well, at least she knew what Rook was going to use his credits on.

A noise at the end of the street alerted her. She shielded her hand over her eyes blocking more of the light so she could get a clear view of what was going on. There seemed to be a rabid mob of people chasing four or five Necro's down the street.

Wylie raised an eyebrow._ Interesting. Some of the most feared warriors of our time running from a mob._

She noticed one had a hand held comm unit and was communicating with a ship presumably hovering in orbit. The crowd quickly changed direction much like a school of fish and headed directly towards her.

She took a quick look around trying to find a back alley she could dodge into. She had come too far down the street for that. The massive swarm was gaining in momentum and she was going to get run down.

Putting her feet underneath her she dodged back down the street the way she came. Leaping over bricks, twisted metal and broken glass. She knew they were gaining; she could hear the squawk of the unit in one of the Necro's hands. Pressing on she tried not to look behind her. Wylie almost stumbled when she felt a cool muscled arm wrap itself around her waist and tug with amazing strength.

Wylie stood stunned for a minute in the arms of the stranger. Her memory flashed.

Rain, no a shower, doctor, big hands running over me. She shivered at the momentary sensation _Arrrghh! It so close! I can't fucking remember._ She shook her head_._

"Hold very still Madame." Wylie felt the cold end of the blade pressed into the tender flesh at the base of her throat.

The comm. unit screeched again saying something through heavy static.

The soldier that was holding her spun around showing the crowd his new hostage.

"If I were you I would do a very good job of looking scared. Otherwise this crowd will fall on me and tear me to bits. If I die you are coming with me." He hefted her tighter against his chest.

The rest of the soldiers moved behind the "gentleman" Wylie guessed was their commander. The advancing mob paused seeing the hostage in the Necro's arms.

Move back everyone and the woman lives. He pushed the blade harder into her neck trying to draw blood. Another flash shook Wylie causing her to stiffen bodily.

__

A bar, a woman, on someone's lap? Jealous? Who did I shoot? I was in the bed with someone. Someone who tried to shiv me.

Her attention focused back on the scene in front of her for the time being. The comm. garbled constantly behind her.

The man holding her began to back farther down the street never taking his eyes off the mob in front of him. A low rumbling signified a small transport had come to pick up the assembly and it appeared they were taking Wylie with them.

………………………………...............................................................................................

The hallway going to the Necropolis was deserted. Riddick walked quietly almost in reverence. He wanted to see what they had done with Jacks body. He glimpsed the large funerary statues and murals that decorated either side of the hallway.

Still wish you were here Jack, at least you will have a decent resting place. People will come to see you for years. Including me.

Riddick ran his sizeable hand over the stubble on his head. He needed sleep. He blinked his bleary eyes trying to get them to focus correctly;

Feels like there's fuckin' sand grit in my eye.

He blinked again running his finger into the corner of his silvered eye; the tip of it came away beaded with moisture. Riddick clenched his teeth against the feeling of his eye filling with water. He moved farther down the hall shaking his head angrily.

__

The dangerous Richard B. Riddick crying? Oh, now that is a shame. Don't worry Riddick, I'm still here. Safe and snug inside your head.

The voice in his head cackled uncontrollably.

………………………………..................................................................................................................

Wylie was being pushed down a long gray corridor. One that looked as if it were made of stone, and had not seen a cleaning in many years. The man at her back was forcing her along and chatting wittily with the other soldiers behind her.

"Here you are lady." the commander announced in front of a group of cells. Using a device on his belt the older man swung open an electrified door and pushed her brutally inside. She stumbled to her hands and knees from the force of his shove.

Wylie looked up furiously from the floor. _Alright polite time is sooo over. _ "Why in the fuck did you put me in here?"

"Holding, till we decide what to do with you." The group all thought this to be superbly funny as they walked off together leaving Wylie silhouetted in the dim glow of the electrified bars of her pin.

……………………………….........................................................................................................

Riddick reached the innermost part of the Necropolis. For a moment he stood stunned by the cold beauty of the place. No one spoke. In fact there was no sound. None. Although there were people that were either walking or sitting on small benches by the tombs.

Between the stone and metal sarcophagi there was an opening were two men labored placing a square of metal. Riddick walked slowly over interested.

"That will be where she is put in state Lord Marshall."

Hello Drysis." Riddick said rather wearily. "Do you just follow me around?"

"Lord Marshall it is my job. I am to supply you with everything you need."

Riddick shrugged and looked back over to the two men laboring underneath the weighty box.

"Lord Marshall. Sir. If I may, I know this is probably not the best time but, we really need to discuss who you will be choosing to sit next to you're throne. There are a lot of preparations to make and…"

"Are you askin' me to choose a mate?"

"In a sense yes. We don't procreate as you well know. But, the leaders do choose mates so that both ends of the populace have a figurehead to look up to. Both male and female."

Riddick grumbled. "Sorry to ruin you're social plans for me but, I'll make this real easy on you. No mate. I won't choose one."

"But sir. With all respect. If you don't choose one will be chosen for you by "trial of combat"."

Riddick still stared at the hole in-between the two sarcophagi knowing that Jack would soon be laying there for eternity. He swallowed convulsively. "Fine." he waved his hand dismissively. "Trial by combat."

"Are you quite sure sir? Once it has begun it cannot be stopped by law."

Riddick grunted his reply.

Drysis nodded and walked quickly out of the necropolis towards the coliseum to talk to the master of weapons. There had not been a trial by combat in over one hundred years of Necromonger rule. The people were going to be uncontrollable when word of this got out.

Sorry so short more on the way…


	16. Cells

Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I had a lot of things to do. Hopefully you will not have to wait as long for other chapters……and now with out further adieu …..

Wylie peered out of the electrified walls of her prison. The footsteps of the soldiers had long since faded away. The hum of the electricity that ran through the bars droned lazily. She sighed moving to the small bench seat inside her cell, her eyes had already adjusted to the dim light inside. She had no idea why they were holding her there and it worried her.

Wylie looked up from her seat; her above average hearing had already alerted her to the presence of someone. Their footsteps were tentative. She could hear their hushed voices discussing something.

"Who are the candidates?" a deep voice rumbled.

"They have yet to be chosen. But we are emptying the cells and holdings for fighters." A smaller voice replied

Fighters? What the fuck is goin' on here?

"There doesn't seem to be very many good candidates. Most of the women in holding have not been trained in fighting."

"Mores the pity, most of the populace is howling for a good fight. We haven't had one in over a hundred years."

Who is fighting and why? Women?

A dark shadow pulled her out of her thoughts making her look up to the front of the cell. A tall man in ceremonial robes was holding what looked to be a scroll of some sort.

"This one." He went on was captured today. "Average height, good muscle tone, soldiers said there were unusual markings on her body. Possible scarification maybe some past battles."

"Hey asshole." Wylie piped up. "Why don't you ask us instead of assuming."

The taller man in the robes gasped and held up his wooden staff he pushed it up against the electrified bard causing them to hiss over the surface of the wood.

Wylie stepped back carefully, avoiding the spitting bars. She looked up angrily.

"Run that stick over the bars of my pin one more time jackass and I'll make sure that you become very well acquainted with it."

"Savage." The taller man hissed.

Wylie nodded agreeing with the man in front of her.

"Damn shame too. Just can't find nice women now-a-days." She stalked towards the bars fixing her gaze on the taller cleric with the long robes on. "Why don't you tell me what is going on."

The smaller man looked to the cleric. "Say nothing. We don't owe this animal any explanations."

"Animal hunh? I wasn't the one swooping down to planets and kidnapping people."

She watched as the two men continued to walk past more cells discussing the occupants as if they were cattle.

………………………………......................................................

Drysis was scurrying in the footsteps of the giant of a man in front of him. He was nearly running by the time the larger man rounded the corner. Looking down at some papers he kept firmly grasped in his hand he didn't notice that his query had come to an abrupt halt in front of him. Drysis ran right into his back letting out a muffled "oof".

"Drysis, what did I tell you about walking behind me?" Riddick grumbled still looking down the hallway.

"B-But, Lord Marshall I-I needed you to finalize the documents for the trial by combat ceremony. The populace practically howling in the streets for their bit of flesh and blood."

As if this fucking war they had just waged hasn't givin' them enough. Riddick said quietly.

Drysis moved out from the shadow of the Lord Marshall's substantial bulk. He looked inquisitively into his face tilting his head to the side.

"Lord Marshall, if I may have permission to speak freely."

Riddick nodded his head in reply.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to think of right now. With the loss of your mate. But if it makes it any better I know how you feel. From one man to another."

Riddick tilted back his head and laughed harshly.

"You know how _I_ feel? You know how _I _feel? That's good Drysis. No one. Knows how I feel." He turned quickly on Drysis pushing his face close to the smaller mans. Drysis swallowed convulsively seeing his pale reflection in Riddicks goggles. "Tell _me Drysis_, Riddick grinned savagely. What does a cleric know about the fucking feelings of a con? Hunh? Tell me _all _about myself. What position do I like? Favorite kind of blade. Red, brunette, or blonde hair? How many people have I killed Drysis? Since you're so busy getting into my "feelings" maybe you and your people can skull-fuck me a little more and find that out too."

Drysis stammered an explanation. It came out a gibberish. Riddick turned and began his speedy ascent into the Necropolis.

"But-but-but, Lord Marshall…the papers, they need your approval." Drysis began to follow waving the papers over his head madly.

"Drysis, take the papers and shove em' in your ass." The reply came from the hallway.

………………………………...................................................

Wylie woke to the sound of movement down the hall. She had been dozing fitfully on and off for a while having the strangest dream of a man with eyes like hers. A low voice. A damn sexy voice now that she thought of it.

"You. Bitch. Turn and put your hands on the wall." She looked up quickly to notice who the voice was attached to.

"Only if you ask very nicely." She leaned back on the bench crossing her legs. Her eyes glinted eerily in the reflection of the electrified bars.

The soldier who had talked moments earlier was joined by another. Both raised their guns in unison.

"Turn and place your fucking hands on the wall. We will not ask a second time."

"What ever happened to one on one? You people are sure into groups. Like little fucking ants." She muttered to herself placing her hands over her head and turning to face the wall.

"I don't trust her." One soldier said behind her. "Get a restraining chain."

She heard the cell door mechanism disengage and could hear the sound of the chain being drug across the floor.

She moved to look behind her and felt the end of a plasma rifle wedge its way in-between her ribs.

"Don't move." One of the soldiers ground out pushing the weapon in more painfully.

She stood still feeling a manacle placed around her neck. It clicked closed with an ominous sound.

"Move bitch," One of the soldiers said pulling on the chain causing her neck to snap back. She could feel the rage build in her.

Wait. Wait. Not yet. Wait till this fuck moves this rifle from in-between my ribs and we'll see who a bitch.

The pressure of the rifle lessened and she turned from the wall facing both soldiers. She smiled sweetly not letting the grin touch her cold impassive eyes.

She tilted her head looking directly at the solider with the length of chain attached to her collar in his hands.

"Not very nice you know. Some girls may enjoy being on the end of a chain. But, I think I failed obedience school."

She reached quickly in front of her tugging on the chain and throwing her weight back. The soldier struggled to get his footing as he toppled into her. Wylie grabbed the chain wrapping the length of it tightly around the soldiers' neck causing him to gasp and claw at the metal choking off his breath. Wylie pulled him tighter to her body using him as a shield.

She placed a kiss on the side of his slowly purpling cheek. "Now, lover. Why am I here? And what the fuck is going on."

The soldier let out a strangled reply.

"Maybe you can answer for him big boy." Wylie tilted her head towards the other soldier standing with his eyes wide.

"There is a combat trial goin' on. We were sent down here to empty the cells of all female prisoners. That's all I know. I swear."

Wylie gave him a cold look.

"Give me your gun."

The solider hesitated and Wylie shook her head tugging on the the chain harder causing his partners face to turn an alarming shade of indigo.

"Give me the fucking gun. I won't ask again."

The solider walked over placing the gun in Wylie's free hand.

"You got the keys for this piece of shit on my neck?"

The solider shook his head. Wylie smiled evilly grabbing the barrel of the gun and brought it down across the soldiers' temple causing him to collapse into a pile on the floor.

She slowly unwound the chain and let the other soldier fall to a heap next to his partner. He was gasping for air like a fish out of water. Stepping over both of them she gathered the chain and walked to the doorway of the cell. Using her boot she kicked the door shut and looked inside blowing both of them a kiss.

"Told you I failed obedience school." She said quietly.

She swaggered down the hall looking for someone who could tell what the fuck was going on.


	17. Snitch

The hallway was all but deserted. Dim blue lights shone out of each of the cells she passed. She slowed her pace stopping to peer into some of the cells she was moving by. A look inside told the story. The "untrained" women the cleric spoke of were here. Huddled in their cells like miserable dogs. Wylie turned her head slowly to look to the other side of the hall to take in much the same scene.

Why in the hell would some one want these people to fight each other? I wouldn't be entertaining; it would be sad really.

A small voice pulled her out of the thoughts.

"Hey You.You."

Wylie squinted past the electric blue glow and looked closer inside the cell. A woman was next to the bars looking at her with small, dark, haunted eyes.

"Yeah. What?" Wylie said looking at the woman.

The woman's eyes widened at Wylie's cold gaze. The dim blue light was reflecting brightly off of them.

"You're eyes. What's wrong with them?"

Wylie squinted. She waved a dismissive hand at the smaller woman.

"Long story. No time. Whatcha' need?"

"Get me out of here. I'll show you how to get off the ship."

Wylie stared blankly at the woman for a moment. She shook her head slowly.

"Sorry kid. I just had a hell of a time springing myself. If you happened to know where the override for the cell doors is then maybe. Otherwise," she shrugged. "Sit tight. Got any idea why this fight is goin' on?"

The smaller woman glared at her banefully.

"Why should I give you any fuckin' information?"

Wylie laughed. "I don't think you're in any position for barginin' kid. Seems to me I'm holdin'' all the chips." Make a deal with you. You give me some info; I'll try my best to get you out."

The smaller woman's face remained impassive. "I think you're lying."

Wylie jerked her head away from the conversation looking down into the hallway. She could hear two distinct voices coming. One sounded suspiciously like the smaller cleric. She put a finger to her lips and looked back to the woman motioning for her to keep silent. Wylie moved back into the shadow camouflaging herself there.

Lucky, lucky me it just must be my friggin' day.

The voices moved closer, just a cell away from where she stood. She slowed her breathing. Her ears perked up taking in every nuance of sound. She moved her head looking towards the two clerics seeing the white of their robes just coming into view.

"Hey, hey over here, she's over here." the smaller woman squealed raising her high pitched voice to an annoying level.

Son of a bitch. The little whore snitched me out.

The two clerics scrambled back into the hall yelling loudly for the guards.

Wylie turned leaning into the view of the smaller woman.

"See ya' round kid. I promise." she said menacingly

Wylie turned and began to sprint down the hall only to run into the steely armor of the guards who were closing on either side of her. She wavered drunkenly the force of the impact almost knocking her off her feet. In the tangle that ensued, Wylie managed to right herself and aim the pilfered rifle point-blank into the chest of one of the guards.

"Well hello there peaches. What brings a guy like you to a place like this?

Wylie grinned evilly leveling her gaze on the guard.

"What are you doing out of your cell? One of the guards asked shocked.

Wylie chuckled under her breath. "Not much for staying where I'm put. Besides the decoration left a lot to be desired and I felt the need to stretch my fucking legs a bit." She arched her back gracefully as if to prove a point.

"But enough small talk boys. Where's the man in charge? I need to see him about some information."

The other guard standing next to Wylie began to move.

"Don't." Wylie said coolly. "Be a shame to have your friends' lung blown all over you." She leaned harder into the rifle pushing it harder into the other guards' chest. "Nothing like the threat of a little common pain to bring two guys closer together. So while were all cozy down here why don't we play a little fucking twenty questions. You give me answers and I do my level best not to blow his chest apart. Hmmm?" She cocked her head to the side looking at the guard out of the corner of her eye.

Both of the guards remained silent staring at Wylie their faces steely and impassive.

"Come now gentleman. I know one of you has to know something." She slowly pulled her finger back on the trigger causing its click to ring in the hallway. "Still nothing? It's a shame. I guess the screaming will begin momentarily. Gentleman. Gentlemen." She shook her head slowly. "My patience is wearing thin."

She looked into the face of the guard in front of her noting the rivulet of sweat running down is slender face. "I'll give you to the count of three. She held up her other hand. "One. Two. Three." Wylie moved the barrel of the gun to the knee of the first guard and pulled the trigger. The sound was deafening, causing the echo to reverberate down the hall; drowning out the screams of the first guard. Wylie saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Before the corridor had cleared of the echo Wylie had turned the gun into the face of the second guard. Pushing the barrel against his nose. She clicked the trigger causing it to echo ominously.

"Told you not to move." She said growled loudly over the screams of the second guard. "Let's see if you can scream as loudly as you're partner with half of your friggin' jaw blown off. I won't even give you a count. "Wadda' ya' say? Can you tell me? Make it fast."

………………………………......................................................................................................

Riddick was sitting on one of the benches across from Jacks tomb. The quiet of the Necropolis was almost too much to handle.

Jack? You there?

Yes, Ridddick. I'm here right in your mind. Safe. The way you couldn't keep me when I was alive.

Riddick clenched his fists at the accusation; he ran his large hands over his shorn scalp feeling the headache building just behind his eyes. His eyes flashed back up to the stone and metal memorial that was Jacks final resting place.

A pathetic display. Imagine my body in that cold tomb. For eternity. Slowly rotting away. I wonder if Caroline had the benefit of such a luxurious burial. No that's right. The beasts on that god forsaken spit of a planet ate her. Her bones are probably bleaching in the sun as we speak. Waiting for some unsuspecting passenger or castaway to stumble over them. Yet another person who believed in you and you failed to protect. I wonder. Did your father fail your mother in the same way? Is that why she isn't here with you now?

Riddick let out an anguished howl. Increasing the pressure on the sides of his head.

"What do you _want _from me?" His voice rumbled deeply in the empty chamber.

I want you beside me Riddick. Beside me in the cold box you put me in. Think about how easy it would be. All the running, all the fighting, It could all end. For once you would be at peace.

"Fuck you." Riddick croaked.

The voice in his head chuckled like a lover.

No Riddick, in the end it will be you who's fucked.

……………………………….................................................................................................................................

Wylie flicked her boot causing the gore that had spattered on them to fling on the stone wall opposite her; the blood was black in the dim gloom of the hallway as it snaked down in rivulets. She crouched down turning the rapidly cooling body over. The guards arm flopped over his eyes; boneless.

He looks almost asleep. That is, if you sleep with half your face blown off.

Wylie shrugged as she ran her hands down in the hidden compartments for something useful.

I.D badge, photos, she scattered these on the floor rummaging deeper into the pocket. _extra cartages, lighter. _Her eyebrow shot up as she moved her arm deeper into the compartment. _Ciggs. _She looked up saying a silent prayer to the powers that be. She turned the battered pack over in her hands and shrugged.

Fuck, right now beggars can't be choosers. Was it worth it asshole? Just a little information and I would have let you and your partner go. But no, you had to play Barney badass, and get yourself killed.

She looked down to the ciggs and noted that they were Canis. Leaning over she scooped up the lighter and wiped her soiled hands on the legs of her jumper. She stood and grabbed the strap of the gun lifting it gingerly off the floor and began walking down the corridor once again. Her eyes illuminated by the smoldering of the lit cigarette.

"Don't know why people have to be so damn stubborn." She said mumbling to no one at all.

"You're a good one to talk." said a throaty voice from one of the cells she was passing.

Wylie stopped and turned on her heel looking for the source of the voice. She tilted her chin and blew out a cloud of smoke through her nose.

"Who the fuck are you?" she asked coldly letting her eyes assess the small, bent woman in front of her.

"No one of consequence. An old woman who has seen way too much."

Wylie moved closer to the cell, her eyes narrowing.

"And just what have you seen? And god help you if you know what's going on. Please don't make me _extract_ information out of you. The process can be painful."

Wylie looked back over her shoulder towards the two dead guards as she blew out a lungful of smoke.

The woman in the cell chuckled. "What do you want to know little one/"

Little one? Wylie didn't particularly like the title but she let it slide for the sake of information.

"I know there is some sort of combat trial going on. Why? Why only women?"

"It is said," the older woman began. "That every hundred years there is a fight. A championship if you will, between all the women of the Necromongers. This fight is to establish who will sit on the throne with the Lord Marshall.

"So a queen?"

"More than a queen. The world has not seen an empire like the Necromongers since the day of the ancient Romans. To win this position you would be an empress. The competition is fought in the way of the old Roman gladiators. In a coliseum, with hundreds of competitors and only one victor. The Lord Marshall presides over the "festivities".

"Sounds like a waste to me. How do the Necromongers reproduce if there aren't any woman?"

The older woman shook her head. "Necromongers do not breed. They recruit, or convert. The fight is about strength. And honor. The fighters all know this when they enter.

"And what happens if the fighter doesn't want her new _mate?"_

The old woman chuckled madly. "Never in recorded history has that happened. Leave it to you little one to ask that question. I would assume that if it were to happen, if the fighter truly did not want her mate, then there would be yet another fight. One that would be to the death as well, this time for the throne. The Necromonger rule. You keep what you kill. When you get there little one. Remember me.

"How do you know I'll make it?"

The old woman stifled a laugh with her small withered hand.

"Once very long ago I too was like you; in your position. Call it one soul recognizing another."

Wylie breathed deeply taking another drag off her cig. "But, that would make you over a hundred years old. That's almost impossible."

"My people and planet are long extinct. It is said that they can live to three hundred years of age. But that is neither here nor there." She waved a dismissive hand. "You will give me your promise little one."

Wylie looked down at the older woman. "Step closer to the bars." she said slowly.

The older woman moved closer and raised her head. It was then the Wylie noticed she had been blinded.

"Who did this to you? Wylie asked.

"It matters not. I told you that I was a woman who saw too much. Your promise?"

"Yes." Wylie said slowly.

"What you are looking for, the arena is down the corridor and to your left. Do not take any of the wine they offer you. It will slow you wits. Beware of the swords. They are smothered in poison. Good luck." With that the old woman moved back into the shadows leaving Wylie standing alone, in the shadows of the electrified bars.


	18. Suprise

"Come on Riddick, you spend so much time dyin' you forget to live."

"So you gonna' stand there in the shadows pretty boy or are you just someone who likes a good show?"

"Riddick. Why the fuck are you in bed with me?"

"You came back for me?"

"Keep em' safe. I'll be back to get them. They better all be there."

"Rozemond is the final. The end. He will kill me."

"I guess you were right kid." Riddick growled under his breath as he touched the leather case of Wylie's still with all the knives in it. Her words scattered in his mind like leaves in the wind of an oncoming storm. "He did end up killin' you. One way or the other ghosted is ghosted no comin' back."

Riddick stood, the leather case angrily clutched in his hand he looked to the side of the room flinging the case against the wall with an audible thump. He turned is head towards the door hearing a small knocking sound coming from outside.

"Enter." he said.   The low gravelly sound of his voice filling his sleeping chamber.

"Lord Marshall, if I may." Drysis's small head peeked in around the door.

"Drysis." Riddick growled once again. "I said enter. Stop fucking leaning on the door."

"I meant no intrusion sir. I was sent to tell you that the tournament begins today. Your presence has been requested at the coliseum to preside over the fight,"

Riddicks eyebrow arched. "Drysis. Just how many people are in this tournament?"

"Around two hundred sir."

"All women?"

Drysis nodded in agreement. "Sir I have the lists here if you would care to make a wager or see who is pared with whom." In the case that we could not procure names we did list physical attributes and or scars and tattoos.

Riddick leaned forward and took the stack of papers form Drysis trembling hand. He began leafing through them with mock interest.

"Sir." Drysis piped up again.

Riddick shot him an irritated look over the top of the paper he was currently reading.

"Sir. If you were looking to place a bet,  the crowd favorite so far has been a woman of unknown origin. It's said that she has eyes like yours, but I'm sure that is just speculation."

Riddick's head shot up at the mention of a woman with eyes like his. "Drisis." he barked. "Take me to see the contestants."

Wylie looked back down the hall.

_Yup, my fuckin' day just keeps getting better and better. _

She blew out a lung full of smoke watching it turn electric blue in the glow of the bars. She stood for a minute wondering what she should do next.

Gotta' love wise women. So full of interesting facts and figures. So full of shit. She chuckled to herself. _Bitter much? Who me?_

She chuckled to herself. 

She snatched her head up hearing two people approaching.

Should have moved when you had the chance dumbass. This hallway is just one big ambush watin' to happen. Fuck. There goes another cigg.

She tossed the cigarette to the floor and ground it out with the toe of her boot. She chided herself silently knowing she should learn to smoke them quicker.

Might as well go meet whoever the fuck this is. Never been one for surprises. But, maybe they are. Suprise, just little ol' me.

She turned on her heel moving quickly towards the sound of the approaching voices.

………………………………................................................................................................

"Sir, I don't see the rush." Drisis said quietly as he felt the sleeve of his robe being dragged in the Lord Marshals wake.

"Drisis," the large shadow of the man in front of him growled. "Next time I hear your mouth open it had better be in response to a question." He yanked on the robe causing Drysis to stagger. "Now _move"_

Riddick came to an abrupt stop causing Drysis to run into his back with a quiet exhale of air. "Drysis." His voice came out low.

"Y-Yes, Lord?"

"Are any of the prisoners loose?"

"Not that I'm aware of sir. Why?"

"Because," he said lowly. "There is someone moving around in the hallway." He tilted his head, listening. "Their moving towards us."

"Sir it's most likely the guard on their rounds."

"Drysis, guards don't fuckin' sneak."

Riddick slowly released the robe of the cleric, moving towards the small scraping sound in the hallway. Pressing his body up against the wall he slowly glanced around it

………………………………....................................................................................................

Wylie grabbed the rifle cradling it to her chest. The sound of the footsteps coming down the confines of the hall echoed in her ears louder than her heartbeat that was now thundering in her ears.

Easy girl nothing to get worked up about. Just another guard. Probably don't even know you're here.

The shadow of a rather imposing guard angled around the corner as she swung the butt of the rifle making contact with the guards head,  the crack was almost deafening.

Wylie peered around the corner prompted by the high wail of a cleric in white robes. She looked down into an angry but hauntingly familiar face.


	19. Mind

I'm staring into a face I should remember. All strong lines and angles. Handsome in that kill you when you least expect it kinda' way. My mind is flippin' over itself. Trying to untangle itself from the fuckin" knot its in. and all I can come up with is a blank. A void. Like the lights are on and no one is mother fuckin' home. It seems that my mind has decided to take a break and the more I strain the more it eludes me. Like a snake in the water. Slick…and runnnin' through my fingers.

The memory is a funny thing. It seems that when you're in the deepest shit that the mind stores things and then puts them so far back in the boxes and crates of you're subconscious that you have one hell of a time pullin' them back up to the surface. Not that I'm dealing with that now. Nope my mind has just decided to short circuit, and I'll be dammed if I don't need it right now.

……………………………….........................................................

The scream of the cleric snapped her back into her thoughts. She looked up angrily at the wailing pathetic man in front of her.

"Who ever the fuck you are .Shut .Up. " Wylie hissed.

She raised the rifle aiming at the head of the cleric, grinning with satisfaction at the fear that raced over his pointy features.

"I don't know who you are but If you bring the guard down on top of me so help me god I will cut out you're own tongue and feed it to you. Wylie smiled brightly at the now trembling man.

"Lord Marshall" Drysis said breathily. Are you all right sir?"

Riddick shot Drysis a dirty look and stood slowly. He moved his hand pulling his goggles up to the crown of his shorn head. His eyes narrowed as he stared into Wylie's impassive silver eyes.

"Well Wylie." his deep bass voice grumbled, "Where the fuck have you been?"

"No offence, but just who the fuck are you?"

She shrugged under the considerable weight of the plasma rifle. With a deft move Riddick had seized the restraint collar around her neck and had yanked her off balance causing her to topple into his broad chest. With a calloused hand he grasped her jaw causing her to stare into his unblinking eyes.

"I know you remember me Wylie." He grumbled lowly into her ear.

Wylie forced one of her arms in-between their bodies trying to push herself away from him. Riddick pulled harder on the collar causing her to wince as the metal sliced into the back of her neck. She glared up at him angrily gritting her teeth against the stinging pain at the nape of her neck.

Riddick laughed. "There's my girl." He shook the collar firmly causing the anger to flare brightly in Wylies eyes.

A shiv, a ship, a shower? He was with me before I found Rozemond. I know him. His voice. I saw him in an alley. Her memory flooded in with alarming clarity. Like a gate opening or a light coming on.

"Lord Marshall." The cleric piped up behind him. "Should I call a guard? She seems to be a dangerous prisoner and I cannot have you injured in any way."

Riddick tilted back his head and a throaty laugh gurgled over his lips. "This?" he said shaking the collar again. " Is not dangerous. She's just a little girl. Isn't that right _sweetheart?"_ He said sarcastically.

Wylie responded by planting a knee in Riddicks crotch grinning beatifically at him. She batted her eyes as she watched an expression of pain cloud Riddick's eyes

He laughed into her face. "Good to see your back Wylie."

……………………………….......................................................................

Wylie took in the halls of the massive ship trying to get her bearings. The simpering voice of the cleric behind her constantly droning on and on was really grating on her final nerve. She turned on him quickly.

"Do you ever shut up? She asked quietly

"No." Riddick grumbled turning her from Drysis as he grabbed her under the arm.

"So you found Rozemond. I know you did. How did you ghost him?" Riddick asked lowly into her ear causing the hairs at the base of her neck to stand on end.

Wylie grinned evilly looking at Riddick.

" didn't. The whole prison had…"

"Plague, I know saw it on the vid screen on Helion Prime. Thought you were dead. Didn't kill him?"

"Nope." Wylie smiled. " left him alive he was half eaten by plague when I got there."

Riddick raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. "You _are_ a bitch."

"Comin' from anyone else Riddick I might get pissed but, from you I'll take it as a complement."

Drysis sped up his pace coming in-between them.

"Sorry to interrupt you Lord Marshall. But you are still needed in the coliseum. To preside over the battle. We still need to drop your "associate."" He said with distaste looking at Wylie as if she were something filthy. "At the pits so she can get suited for the tournament"

Riddick looked down at the smaller man impatiently. "Drysis, I'm not goin'. She's," he grabbed Wylies arm possessively "not fuckin'' goin' either."

"I beg to differ Lord Marshall. She is a contestant, as a matter of fact several of the high ranking officials have already put large sums of money on her just to see he battle."

Wylie looked between the two men as they moved closer together in the confines of the hall.

"Drysis, I could give to fucks who put what on her. Call. It. Off."

"I terribly sorry lord Marshall," he demurred slightly. "I specifically told you that once started, the tournament could not be stopped. You even signed for it."

As if by magic the cleric produced a roll of papers from the sleeve of his robe. He pointed with a shaking finger at the signature.

"Now if you will," he said quietly grabbing Wylies arm out of Riddick's bruising grip.

Wylie looked down snatching her arm out of his grip.

"As far as I know I haven't been asked to join any little game."

"You are not asked madam," Drysis said coolly, "you are a prisoner and therefore the property of the Lord Marshall and the Necromonger society."

"Property hunh? Last time I checked I seemed to have difficulty with that word." She said menacingly, "you know for a little shit you sure do have brass balls."

"Lord Marshall. She must go. There will be an uprising if she does not."

Riddick looked down at Wylie. "Need me to fight kid?"

Wylie laughed, Riddick, met her silver gaze "Have I ever needed you to fight for me?"

She laughed again making a harsh barking sound as she sauntered down the hallway away from both of the men

Riddick quickly turned on Drysis jamming a finger into his chest causing the air to rush from his lungs. "If she dies so do you Drysis I promise you." Riddick said lowly.

"B-But, lord Marshall,"

Riddick didn't turn, his low voice carrying as he moved down the hall, "no buts Drysis, you have been warned."


	20. Bravado

So here I am with my new found memory, problem is do I want it? Do I want to remember all the things I've done? In not sayin' I'm a saint hell, I'm not even a nice person half the time. Most days I'd be letting myself off easy by saying that I'm a bitch. And that's being conservative, but here I amnone the less, trapped in a battle that I have nothing to do with and in a strange ship. And I'm guessin', that all the lovely ladies I'm to meet up with think that their balls are brassier than mine. What does happen if I find the queen of the brass balls? What then? The only hard and fast rule of life is that there will always be some one bigger, better and smarter than you. Always someone who has that edge, its eventual. You are gonna' find someone who can whoop you're ass. And an ass whooping is fine. As long as it doesn't have death attached on to the end of it. I've been all over this star system and I'll be damned if I found someone, with the exception of Riddick that could take a chunk of me. But with two hundred women all ready to fight and with nothing to loose even I'm cutting my odds a little close.

……………………………….............................................................................................................

Wylie pulled angrily on her cigarette as the staccato of her boots rang hollow. She blew out the smoke as she rounded the corner assuming by the sound that she was nearing the coliseum.

Do you need me to fight? Ha, come on Riddick. I'm not a two year old looking for daddy to hold her hand.

She thought on that for a moment and grimaced.

The last thing I need right now is a psychotic bastard like my daddy holding my hand. Hell, he would probably be more than happy to plunge a knife into me. Right into my back.

She shrugged taking the final pull on her cigg, smoking it to the filter. She flicked it away with a careless gestureseeing that it thumped across the steel floor of the ship and quietly rolled into the corner

Funny how I'm noting all these stupid little things in vivid detail. Most people will tell you that right before you die things will slow down almost to a snails pace. Where every little detail will become important. Not that I'm afraid to die, just don't want some one to get in a lucky shot. Cryin' fuckin' shame if I went down to someone who was a sissy. I can see it now; the pink princess will be the one to do it, her and her fairy wand. I'll be lying in a pool of my own blood while she grasps a small fluffy dog under one arm.

Wylie laughed." Now that's comedy." she croaked

She looked ahead of her in the hallway, a large archway loomed ahead of her with two impressive guards standing on either side of it.

"Hello gentlemen" She said in a low voice as she approached. Both guards snapped to attention as she walked towards them

"Easy boys, just here for the fight."

……………………………….......................................................................................................

Riddick stormed down the hallway towards his sleeping chamber, Drysis's footsteps had become little more than a faint echo as he slammed the heavy steel door behind him nearly knocking it off the hinges.

Oh Riddick. The voice in his head said soothingly_. You have failed again. How is it that no matter whom it is you seem to put their life in jeopardy? And she managed to survive. And here you are delivering her back into the hands of danger once again. I wonder? Is she a cat? One who has nine lives? Because to be in your company she had better have all of them._

The voice in his head said soothingly 

"Jack. Is there a fuckin' point to all of this?" Riddick grumbled

The smaller voice in his head cackled._ Not at all Riddick, just more than happy to point out your glaring failures as a man. _The voice barked and broke into another round of laughter. _And what a man you are. So pathetic that even your own mother didn't want you. What a strong Furian you are, so agile so quick, sooo intelligent. _The feminine voice taunted. _How you going to save her from this one? Oh, I forgot, _the voice said sardonically. _You aren't in the business of saving lives, only fuckin' them._

"Shut up." Riddick grumbled angrily to no one in particular.

What ever you say hero.

Riddick pulled the door of his quarters back open again making the already distressed metal hinges whine loudly. The cleric fell in on Riddick.

"Drysis," Riddick roared

He scooped the man up by the lapels of his robe and shook him hard enough to rattle the smaller mans teeth. Riddick snatched his goggles off his face pushing them down around his neck to hang there like a shed skin. He arched an eyebrow and clicked his teeth together as he spoke.

"I told you already Drysis." His voice was barley recognizable around the deep bass of his growling voice. He shook the smaller man again noting the dazed expression that was sliding over the mans eyes.

"Why. Are. You. Here? You are supposed to make sure that Wylie doesn't get herself fucking killed."

"Lord," Drysis croaked out. "I have

done the best that I can. " I have talked to people… even higher ranking officials than myself, trying to get them to pad the fight sir. All I can say sir is that, the officials are scared sir."

"Scared of what Drysis?"

"Scared sir that she _will _win. That a non-necromonger will sit on the throne as queen. That would be two non believers ruling. The people are scared sir that this will end our way of life, that a system of ruler ship that has lasted hundreds of years will come to an end. If anything sir, they want to kill her and set a more malleable queen on the throne. One that will bend her ear to the officials and influence you, so that they will be able to gain some kind of control."

Riddick shook him again. "I told you Drysis no excuses. She dies, you die."

"But sir." He whined…."I've tried everything I know and…"

Riddick shook him harder this time causing his head to snap back and forth on his skinny neck

"Sir," Drysis said quietly looking green in the face. "Please don't shake me again, I'm about to be sick."

"Drysis," Riddick said dryly. "You're about to be dead."

………………………………................................................................................

Wylie looked around smiling.

I really don't fucking get what is with these people and their fucking cages.

Once again she had been stuck behind the electrified bars of a holding cell. She chuckled quietly to herself at the almost overwhelming stupidity of it.

If were all going to kill each other anyways why not just let us into one big friggin' room. It might at least weed out the weaker ones and make the fights a bit more interesting this is just plain sad. Half of these women couldn't find their ass with both hands and they expect them to fight?

"Please." She said loudly as she spit on the electric bars causing their glow to dim and the moisture of her saliva to crackle as it was burned off.

"Hey. You. Prisoner 1268, you need to suit up for the tournament." She could swear that she heard the asshole laughing under his breath.

She looked down at the skimpy garment that had been laid out across the bench. She picked it up with two fingers and clicked her teeth with distaste. Wylie leaned closer to the bars looking at the group of guards that was laughing loudly down in the hallway.

Wylie put two fingers to her lips and let out a deafening whistle. "Hey. You. _Laughing _boy. How about you kiss my round ass." She knew she was provoking them but just couldn't help the fun of it.

"As I remember it _was _round." A lewd voice said beside her.

Wylie didn't even turn around. "Come on Riddick, don't bust my balls."

"What do you think your doin' Wylie?"

She twirled around shooting him an ugly look. "Protesting my choices of uniform." She held up the clothing that had been placed in her cell with one finger tossing it to the floor where it landed with a quiet thump.

Riddick raised an eyebrow looking at the heap of straps and bits of cloth.

"Looks interesting" he said razing an eyebrow.

"I'm _so_ not doing this. Riddick, I need some cargos and a tank, I need my glasses and a pack of cigs, a bottle of black label wouldn't hurt either. And for fucks sake get these glowing fucking blue bars turned off. There starting to piss me off." She said the anger coloring her voice.

Riddick looked to Drysis who scurried off on his errandThe bars began to hum loudly as the blue light dimmed. Riddick leaned over to the bars and tugged on them once causing them to slide open.

"Really." Riddick grumbled as he moved to step inside her cell. "What do you think you doing?"

"It seems to me _peaches_ that I'm preparing to get into a really nasty fight." She said sarcastically.

"This is not a fuckin' game Wylie." Riddick said angrily.

Wylie snorted. "You're telling _me?_ Like I don't have two eyes, as if I don't know the odds that I'm up against Riddick. I'm good but, there are two hundred woman that are in this thing, out of that, a fuckin' handful that really want to sit on the throne. I'm good, but no one is that good Riddick. Odds are that I might get taken down. And for what? A throne I don't want." She raised an eyebrow and pushed a finger into the middle of his chest. " So you tell _me _what I'm doing Riddick."

"Your gonna' fight Wylie, and win."

"Yeah, everyone I talk to seems to have that estimation …we'll see won't we?"

Drysis rounded the corner with a bundle of black clothing, a pack of cigg's, and a bottle of black label. Wylie's eyes lit up. She scooped the clothes and other items out of Drysis grasp, turned and put the clothes on the bench next to her. Grasping the bottle by the neck she removed the cork with her teeth with a loud squeal. She tilted the bottle back and looked over to the two men quietly occupying her cell.

She raised the bottle with a tilt of her head.

"To death and destruction gentleman." She took a long swig and lit a cigg. blowing out the smoke carefully.

"Sorry gentlemen, where are my manners? Want some?" She winked and smiled out out the corner of her wide lips.


	21. Into the Fray

Wylie looked up feeling the warm liquid trickle down into her belly with the comforting rasp of smoke chasing it.

She had meant every word that she had said. It was going to be death and destruction. She sincerely hoped not hers. Although she thought; contemplating to herself it wasn't as if she had not been into these scrapes before.

_Hell, every Vestuvian had most probably been into some scrape or another by the time they were ten. It was hard to live on a planet full of drunks, outlaws and thieves without encountering someone with "friendly" hands._

She laughed to herself

_Tho' a ten year olds idea of being friendly is playing in the sand box not fucking. Definitely not on the top ten list of safe places to raise a family. _

Riddick looked up quietly narrowing his silvered eyes at her. He took another long swig out of the bottle and passed it to Drysis who was now looking at Wylie with wide eyed awe.

"Sir, I couldn't possibly!" He said with outrage. "The cleric's job is a station of high prominence; we do not _dally_ with the pleasures of the flesh. Being a cleric is a sacred right, a matter of the highest importance one of prestige and honor and…."

Wylie cut him off with a bark of laughter. "Drysis has anyone told you that you have the most self important image of yourself. What do you do besides puff up your frigging chest scribble in that little scroll book of yours and generally annoy the living shit of every official on this ship?"

"I um…I…um" Drysis sputtered

Wylie leveled her cold gaze on Drysis..."that's what I thought. One rule, Drysis." Wylie turned moving the pile of clothes around on the bench and coming up with two long leather straps that she began working around her wrists. "When you are with me you drink and when I say to smoke you smoke and for gods sake don't give me any shit about it,"

Drysis narrowed his beady eyes at her bringing down the corner of his mouth into a wicked frown.

Wylie leaned back and let out a bellow of laughter. "Either drink it Drysis or I'll pour the shit down your throat..."

Drysis glared at her angrily and snatched the bottle from Riddick's hands. He tilted it back and took a huge gulp and swallowed, the muscles in his neck working convulsively. Almost immediately he began coughing and with a shaking hand wiped the sleeve of his robe across his reddening lips.

She lit up another rich smelling cigarette and inhaled deeply passing it to Drysis.

"Wanna' Smoke?" she mouthed through a haze of clove smelling fog.

"No." Drysis said angrily almost pouting.

Wylie looked at the smaller man again cocking up one eyebrow. "One more time Drysis…smoke or no?"

Drysis let out a long exasperated lung of air as he snatched the cigg from Wylie's hand. He looked up at her evilly. "God, you _are_ a bitch aren't you?"

"One of the best baby, "she turned and began to pull the black tank over her arms...

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Wylie turned and began walking down the dark hall buoyed by the good Vestuvian black label that was running through her veins and the ominous but muffled roar of the crowds. She pulled the handles of a large oak door with carvings of humans stuck to it in varying stages of anguish and decay.

"Mental note to myself." She said quietly, "don't ask the people who did the interior decorating in this place to come to yours."

She leaned back pulling all her weight against the large iron handles and felt the door jar to life. The muscles in her forearms and biceps roped with exertion. She tugged again pulling all of her strength into her muscular thighs. The door begrudgingly quivered open.

The smell of blood was the first thing that assaulted her senses, the second was the smell of hard packed dirt, sweat and fear mingled with a primitive smell. The smell of excitement, not in a sexual way, not the musky familiar odor of sex, but something close. Wylie lifted her head pulling large drafts of air through her nasal cavity as a serene smile passed her broad lips.

_This just might be how every solider, mercenary, or fighter worth a shit would like to buy it. With the smell of bloodlust and the pumping of adrenaline through their veins._

The roar as she opened the door was deafening.

Placing one booted foot in front of the other she stepped though the passageway feeling the heat and the blood lust of the crowd hitting her like an invisible fist. She slowly slid the pair of goggles down over her eyes blocking out the almost intolerable light that filled the arena. Reaching a hand to her head she smoothed back a lock of dark hair and felt the icy perspiration there. She fought making herself keep placing one foot in front of the other.

_Scared much? Who me? Naaah. Just another lovely fucking day in the life of Wylie. Well guys, it's been nice to know you, if any of you wanna' bail out now its all right by me. _

Wylie mentally looked around expecting to see the little voices that had kept her alive for so long to take shape and jump out of her head.

_Guess not, all right, let's go and look for a fight. No sense stickin' our toes in the cold fucking water when we know damn well we gotta' bathe in it._

She took a deep breath and completely walked out into the open sucking in a breath at the scene in front of her.

_Now I know how the gladiators of ancient Rome felt. Fucking marvelous._

The Coliseum was awash with color and sound, all of Necromonger society had turned out. Men, women, half dead all sat with expectant lust glazed eyes. All centered into the middle of the ring where two women fought in close quarters with a gaph stick and a wickedly sharp short blade. The taller of the two women had the muscle structure of a man all upper body strength and bulging muscles. Tattoos covered most of her face and trailed down both arms making her look much the part of a barbarian. The shock of electric blue hair that ran down between her shoulder blades and was tipped with what appeared to be sharp metal spikes didn't detract form that image. She roared loudly the sound reminding Wylie of the lions found on ancient earth. As she did so several rows of wicked looking canines flashed making Wylie pause.

_Hmmm. Talk about bad dental work. I bet she's a real hit with the boys._

Her body was clad with little more than a leather loin cloth. Both of her breasts were bare with a light dusting of what appeared to be golden hairs on them. She also had a long prehensile tail snaking out from in-between her muscular legs which were both tightly wrapped in leather boots stopping just short of her crotch.

Wylie mused to herself quietly. "Must chafe like a bitch to walk in them."

The smaller woman in the fight looked much like the norm for a prisoner taken off of Helion Prime. Small and compact with Indian features, her long dark hair was bound with several silver spirals woven into its length. Her clothing was down stated next to the taller woman's costume; just a small metal mesh top and what appeared to be a chain mail skirt. A pair of leather sandals wound their way up both of her legs accentuating the muscles there.

Her skill with the gaph stick was immediately obvious; she parried and thrust like someone who had taken fencing lessons. Her body style was muscular as well but more with the grace of a ballerina; all lean muscle and agility.

"_The people who have put this thing together knew how to get their buck, this was no mere fight all of the woman had been chosen and specifically pared tall verses short, quick verses slow. It was going to be an interesting fight to say the least._

A bellowing roar snapped Wylie out of her thoughts and back to the scene in front of her. The smaller woman had come across the larger woman with her gaph stick leaving a large charred hole right above the larger woman's bellybutton. The charred flesh left a sickingly sweet perfume in the air. The adoring crowd went wild. Screaming to the highest capacity and chanting the simple words.

"Kill, kill, kill."

The smaller woman bowed to the roaring crowd and picked up the larger woman's curved blade. With one deft move she whipped the tip of the weapon across the woman's lower abdomen, spilling the opalescent blue intestines in a wet rush like a basket of shivering snakes. The larger woman let out a roar before collapsing on the pile of her own sand speckled intestines.

_Never seen one like her. _Wylie thought of the larger woman. _Wonder if she was a Movadian? I once heard that they were shape shifters. I guess she was a lion?_

A voice behind her broke her out of her thoughts.

"It's good to see that you could finally make it _Madame_….' A bulky figure next to her chimed. "You were to be brought in next. It's good to see that we didn't have any _unplesentries_ where you are concerned." He raised an over manicured eyebrow looking down the bridge of his knife blade nose at her as if she were a piece of walking refuse.

"Yeah, glad to be here." Wylie said sarcastically as she lit another cigg and blew the smoke directly into the face of the officer. She laughed inwardly at the larger man fighting to keep his eyes from watering." So when you planning on getting into the ring?" Wylie nodded towards the two fighters with a tilt of her head.

"Me? Surely Madame you must be joking." "Officers of the Necromonger elite do not sully their hands with the blood of the common populace.' He said with disdain.

Wylie threw back her head and gave a full throated chuckle. "So sure of yourself are you? Bet you couldn't last five minutes with one of the weakest fighters in the ring."

The guard puffed up his chest. "I don't fight weaklings."

"Good" Wylie said smirking. "Then you won't have any problem fighting me asshole."

"I will not fight _you."_ You have no power here, no jurisdiction over me."

"I know a few people in high places I'm sure that I can arrange a fight between you and I. You might wanna' go put your armor on peaches, your up next." Wylie looked to Riddick seated on the Dias above the screaming crowds and pointed at the guard.

"I will not fight you." The guard ground out.

"Oh, peaches, I think you will, no member of Necromonger society may disobey a direct order from the Lord Marshall." Wylie pointed to the dais where Riddick was pointing back to the guard. Wylie laughed as she saw the guard's complexion go ashen.

"I will obey my Lord Marshall."

You do that slick. See ya soon. Wylie nodded and laughed loudly tightening the leather straps on her arms. She pulled in another long lungful of gingerbread smoke

_One down, only a thousand more to go. Shit, its gonna' be one helluva' day._


	22. Fray 2

Wylie looked up into the now quiet stands. An angry hush had descended over the crowd much like a magical battle fairy had waved her wand over them. She inhaled deeply on her black cigarette enveloping herself in a cloud of gingerbread smoke. She looked towards the arched opening watching the solider that she had just picked the fight with emerging from. His head was hung like a pendulum between his meaty shoulders, swinging from left to right with each step he took. Heavily booted heels kicked up tiny puffs of dust with each footfall.

_Yeah, he looks ready to be here. _

The guard looked up, the hatred openly visible on his handsome if sallow features. Wylie smiled beatifically at him the black cigarette jutting rakishly out of the corner of her wide pouting lips.

_My, my, what have we here? Solider boy seems to be pretty pissed at me. Well, he'll build a bridge, he will get over it…I'm sure that his anger will be pretty fuckin' trivial when he gets himself stabbed. Seems that a little pain makes everything trivial._

Are you ready _mistress?_ The solider hissed at her. The sound coming out like a mocking curse from a snakes tongue.

Wylie looked at the solider raising an eyebrow over the rim of her glasses. She held up a finger and pulled deeply on the black cigg. poking out of her mouth. She pulled it off of her lips and carelessly flicked the smoldering butt over her shoulder. Giving a deep throaty laugh caused the solider to jump unexpectedly. Exhaling a lungful of smoke she reached behind her pulling out a wicked curved blade that looked like a claw of some ancient beast. The glint that was visible through her glasses was just a few shades lighter that the shine on the blade. Wylie cleared her throat lightly and took a relaxed stance moving the leather handled blade back and forth between her elegant pale hands. Suddenly she stilled much like the quiet that comes over a snake when it gathers it's self to strike. She tilted her head to the side brushing an errant strand of dark hair from her view. She motioned with her hand her readiness.

The solider set his face in grim concentration. He hefted up his gladius and moved towards Wylie with a ground eating stride swinging the blade wide. Wylie back stepped moving easily out of the range of the double edged weapon. Her eyes darted over the warrior in front of her quickly accepting and denying the probability of weak spots. She dodged another volley of swipes, the wake of disturbed air causing the sharp side of the blade to make a whistling sound near her ear. Wylie jerked back, her eyes widening at the soldiers nearness to her own ear with the tip of the wickedly sharp implement. Her reaction caused an answering smile to spread over the soldiers thin lips.

_He's really convinced that he has me._ She chuckled inwardly. _Cocky little bastard isn't he? Cocky doesn't get ya' anywhere. Let's see ya' put your chips on the table._

Wylie moved aside one more time, the crowd that had moments ago been silent howled like some ravening beast. The surrounding mob in the stands came back into sharp focus as the solider swung once again as Wylie leaned backwards, the tip of the short sword barely missing her stomach. She noted the sheen of perspiration on his brow. The solider had made a fatal error. Assuming the fact that his sheer brawn would win the fight quickly for him. The fact was that all he was managing to do is wear himself out.

Wylie feigned to the left waiting for the solider to take the bait. He parried by moving the sword to block the blow that he was sure was coming. Wylie tossed the curved knife to her right hand and buried the tip right underneath the soldiers' underarm. She tugged down feeling the claw of the blade ripping through the smooth muscle on the side of her opponent's chest with a ripping sound. The vibrations traveled up Wylies arm as tip of the blade bumped off the bones of the soldier's ribcage before it came to rest on the pewter clasp that held the chest plate of his armor on. Blood the color of garnets flowed out like warm molasses as she pulled the metal partially out of the soldiers' side with a wet sucking sound. The shocked solider expecting the attack from the left side had foolishly put all his weight into the swing.

Wylie felt the flat side of the short sword strike the side of her jaw with a crushingly bruising but, glancing blow. Her head and neck muscles trembled with the force of the impact as she turned the blow aside. She looked up into the soldiers face to see the look of defeat run through his eyes. Wylie turned her head to the side and spit out a mouthful of scarlet liquid noting how it darkened to black as it splattered to the sand floor of the ring. Her opponent leaned into the blade hoping to possibly take off the bottom of Wylies jaw. Wylie twisted away from him completely removing the blade from the soldier's side and spun behind him. The loss of anything to lean on caused the solider to stumble, and go down on one knee...

Wylie stood behind him pulling his head tight into the junction of her thigh.She looked down letting her dark hair fall around her face like a curtain. She could see the Adams apple moving convulsively as he swallowed.

"You know we can stop this." She whispered into the soldiers' ear. "You can bury your blade in the sand right now and I will let you walk out of the ring alive. She glanced up hearing the sound of the roaring crowd coming back into auditory focus. She turned her head back to the solider now on his knees. She had to strain to make out his words over the din.

"Sure, you might loose a few points with the ladies, and might get jibbed a little by the guys at the office, but you will be alive. Which, if we continue, I cannot promise will be a trend for you my overzealous friend." She tapped him lightly on his sallow cheek with the flat of the dagger. "So what do ya' say? Swallow all that friggin' testosterone? Walk out of here beaten but breating?"

Wylie's senses were coming into sharper focus by the minute.

_A reaction to all the adrenaline._

She could smell and see the spreading pool of blood moving steadily towards her booted foot turning the sand into an ebony mirror.

_I can let this guy walk out of here. But not a snowballs chance in hell he will survive much longer. Too much blood. Too red. I nicked something. His breathing is shallow already. But, I'd be willing to give my left eye that this asshole would rather die with all his manly pride then be beaten by a girl. Dumb man, does'nt know when to quit. _

"Well, what's it gonna' be slick…? I'm kinda' on a busy schedule, you know people to kill, places to go." She said pulling the soldiers head up to an even sharper angle.

The solider looked into Wylie's eyes and at that moment she was reasonably sure that he was going to do something to _really _piss her off.

The kneeling man reared his head back farther and spit a wet globule of bloody spittle into her glasses lens. Wylie frowned down at the man and patted his cheek and sighed.

"Say hello to the devil for me."

She placed the tip of the curved blade just under the soldiers jaw bone pulling the sharpened edge across the Adams apple and to the opposite side. Almost immediately the floor in front of them was showered with crimson jewels that the thirsty sand sucked up. She leaned over looking into the soldiers increasingly doll like eyes and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before pulling on the black curling hair of the soldiers head and ripping the cut across his neck into a blood washed parody of a smile. His head toppled drunkenly back off his shoulders exposing the cream color jut of spinal bone and the gurgling windpipe sending up little puffs of crimson spray. She sidestepped gracefully watching the kneeling body move its chest once, twice, and then the corpse toppled over.

Wylie looked down at her bloodied hands, bent over and ran the tips of her stained fingers down the soldiers' cheek. A grim parody of war paint.

She stood, raising her hands over her head feeling the blood absorbed by the leather straps of her wrists releasing their gory bounty to trickle down in slow rivulets down her forearms. Wylie turned and slowly pulled her glasses to the crown of her head, squinting. She looked to the Dias and Riddick and tilted her head to him; a nod of acknowledgement. He stared back impassively.

_He may look like a statue but he sees the beast sliding into my eyes just as I feel it takin' over my brain. Said I was tired, tired of the killin' tired of provin' who was the bigger, badder, killer. Thing is if I do make it out, will I be able to put the beast back in the box? Or will I become just a ravening maddened blood stained thing?_

She placed her arms back down to her sides moving them to the waistband of the cargos; she pulled out her battered pack of Vestuvians and placed one into her mouth with a slightly trembling hand.

For the first time she was scared, scared of herself that is.


	23. Brother

_Sissy? Sissy? You there?_

_I can remember his small words as his footed pajamas made whispering sounds in the hall…He was so small, So weak…my brother. I can remember scooping him up in my arms and feeling the fever raging through his tiny frame._

"_Hey babe. You all right?"_

"_No, he whimpered. "I'm hot. Mom says that she can't give me anything for the fever."_

_I ran my hand across his smooth brow feeling the waves of heat radiating off of it like the sun baked sand of the desert. _

"_Here sweetie, let me put you down in the bed. I'll be right back with something that will make you feel better."_

_I put him down in the bed and pulled the blankets up over his tiny chin leaving only the smallest sprouting of golden curls peaking above the covers. Turning, I left the room and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a towel and ran water over it. The feaver medicine that we had in the vial's in the cabinet were empty and I left the kitchen abruptly and walked down the long hall that led to my parents bedroom. Pushing the door open I saw my mother nestled among the covers with the vid-screen washing the room in flashing color._

"_You know he's running a fever."_

_She coughed once for emphasis and looked over to me her red rimmed eyes scarlet in the light from the vid-screen._

"_What do you want me to do about it?"_

"_He's you son! Where's all the acetaminophen?"_

_She coughed again sounding more pathetic if possible and rolled over with a groan._

"_I used it all. I have a fever too." She whined._

_I stood in the door looking at her for a moment and paused collecting myself. _

"_Does dad have anything in the lab for him?" I asked._

_She laughed coughing phlemelighly _

"_Go ahead, ask you daddy if he has anything for it." She spat at me. _

_I shrugged and closed the door quietly. I had expected this tirade out of mom, she was always this way when sick or put out of her way by something. When inconvenienced she always tended to be a bitch. I marched into the back of the house and pulled open the heavy door that sealed off dads lab, going down a flight of stairs I followed my nose towards that damp chemical smell that always clung to mf father like a second skin. The overhead light swung listlessly back and forth causing the shadow to lengthen and shorten across his face with each movement. He looked up suddenly and raised an eyebrow at me. The look in his eye was far away…As if his body was here but his mind was far, far away. I walked over wrinkling my nose as the sharp copper-penny smell._

"_Dad. Mom took all the fever pills and I need some."_

"_For what?" he asked turning his attention to the slide that he was working on. _

"_For your son." I said quietly. I clasped my hands behind my back._

_The side of his mouth quirked up in a smile and his beady eyes flashed back at me as he ran one of his spider-like hands through his oily hair. _

_He looked back down to his work and sighed. _

"_The medicine will not do anything."_

"_What do you mean?" _

_He shook his head and dismissed me with a wave of his hand. _

"_Go back upstairs; I'll be up there in a minute to see if I can do anything."_

_I left quietly, not knowing exactly what was happening in my home. Not that we ever had the picture of a happy home life but, I had assumed that my life had been "normal" with the parents fighting and sudden arguments passing by quickly like summer storms. My father had always been aloof, clinical and had a certain distain for my brother and I. His distain had always made my mother seem more shrewish in comparison. Moving back into the kitchen I pulled the rag out of the cool running water and rung it out with my hands hearing the water trickle down the drain. _

_I turned and headed back down the hall when a noise sped my steps. It sounded as if a struggle were going on in my brother's bedroom. I grasped the dripping rag harder in my hands and raced to his bedroom door. I caught my breath watching my brother in convulsions, my father had nestled his head in the crook of his arm keeping him from bashing it in on something. As he struggled I could see the white of his eyes and the blood-flecked spittle flying from his mouth as his muscles contracted and jerked as he wailed incomprehensible babble. My father grunted with the effort it took to hold his tiny body in check. As if someone had thrown a switch the convulsion stopped and his body took on a posture of almost sedate relaxation in my fathers' arms. My father looked down and blew a breath out between his wide lips moving my brothers' head to rest once again on the pillow. His small eyes in a cherubic face focused on me. My father stood and slowly walked out of the room without a backwards glance leaving me and my brother alone in his small damp room._

"_Please don't be sad sissy." _

_I looked down at him and smiled holding his tiny hand in mine. _

"_I love you."_

"_Love you too sissy." He breathed out as his eyes fluttered shut for the last time. _

_My brother died right next to me. In my arms. I was ten. _

The crowd roared bringing her back into the moment as she let the frame of the smaller woman fall to the ground. She felt a small trickle of warmth wind its way down her cheek. She kneeled looking into the cloudy eyes of the corpse.

_I'll be damned._ She chuckled crazily to herself. _She has eyes just like my brother._


	24. Fray 3

Riddick leaned back on the throne chair; he hadn't realized how hard he had been gripping the arms of it until he looked down seeing the perfect indents of all ten of his fingers clamped into the wood. He swiveled his head around watching the crowd erupt into madness with bets scribbled down on pieces of paper and passed to counters which exchanged money on credit chips and shoved pieces of paper in his pocket. Riddick raised an eyebrow in interest as the "bookie" was now collecting money from people and by the look on their face a lot of them were none too happy. A gentleman in a long purple cloak practically stumbled over Riddick's legs as he dashed across the dais platform trying to get the bookies attention. Riddick looked up letting out a low bass rumble under his breath to show his discontent.

"You need to watch where the fuck your going." Riddick growled.

"Lord Marshall," the man at least had enough sense to look shocked. His pasty skin coloring slightly. "My apologies sir! I was merely trying to get the gentleman's attention. I am so sorry sir! I lost track of myself."

The man in the purple robe bowed low the hem of his cloak pooling on the floor.

Riddick grunted and waved a dismissive hand.

"Lord Marshal, if I may? That was quite some fight was it not?"

Riddick looked up at the man his face impassive. The older gentleman kept talking.

_Most people shut up when I look at them like that, fuckin' Christ; I must be loosing my touch. _

"I have 6000 credits that the silver eyed one goes down in the next fight. She is _impressive_ is she not? I've already joined a waiting list that puts gentlemen like myself in a position to "claim" her if she happens to surrender in one of the fights."

The older man grabbed the ends of his robe self importantly and puffed out his thin chest.

"I'll be willing to wager all of my credits that _that_ one is hotter than a Vestuvian in the bedroom." He gave Riddick a wink and nudged him slightly with his elbow.

"She _is _a Vestuvian you fuck." Riddick said with a calm voice. He turned his head back to the older man fixing his gaze on him. Riddick's steely eyes were anything but calm.

Drysis had picked up that exact time to walk up with several small betting slips in his hands.

"Lord Marshall? What goes on here?"

Riddick stood slowly letting the older man that stood in front of him get a good look at his height as he towered over him almost blocking out all the light.

"My _friend_ and I were just about to make a wager."

"Lord Marshal?"

"You will sit here." Riddick reached over placing his large hand on the older mans shoulder and squeezed it painfully. The older mans knees began to buckle. Riddick smiled nastily.

"If the Vestuvian dies, so do you." Riddick raised an eyebrow looking at the older mans paling complexion. "Not willing to bet?" Riddick barked. _"Interesting." _He grinned again and steepled his fingers, rested his chin on them.

Drysis crouched down beside the dais and whispered into the older mans ear.

"That sir makes two of us." You just insulted his queen." Drysis noted the older mans watery eyes. Drysis looked over to the Lord Marshal noting that he had already turned his attention back to the center of the ring where several Necromonger foot soldiers had begun to remove the body of the young girl who had just been dispatched. Wylie sat in the middle of the ring. Almost in a relaxed position smoking one of her fowl cigarettes. The lord Marshall was angry he could see the muscles in his shoulders singing with tension.

_She won't make it much longer. She's starting to get sloppy; her concentration isn't worth a fuck anymore. _

……………………………………………………………………………………

_I'm fuckin beat, Good goddam! _

Wylie pulled herself up off the sand floor of the fighting ring with a groan. Every bone and muscle in her body ached with the strain she had put on them.

_My fuckin' hair even hurts._

She crouched over resting her hands on her knees and stretched the tendons in her back and legs. She let her head hang in-between her shoulders slowly rocking it back and forth like the now painful weight it was. She took a mental inventory of herself and noted all the bruises and small fractures that she could feel in her hands.

_Don't care how good of a fighter that you are, the body was only made for so much. Under the most ideal circumstances there would be some down time between fuckin' fights. Some time for the adrenaline to level out for the body to repair some of the internal damage that a constant adrenaline high does to it._

She leaned back her head and let out a long braying laugh causing the people in the stands to pause momentarily.

_Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's been good friggin' fun. And a least I put on a good show. _

She grabbed her shiv from the sandy floor with an increasingly swelling hand. She ground her teeth with the effort it too to do so. Moving quietly back to the side of the ring she turned to see the next contestant to come through the arched doors.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Riddick moved uneasily in the chair taking inventory of Wylie's physical state with a predator's eye for detail.

_Limping slightly on the left leg, possible hamstring sprain, some bruising on the arms and face, her right arm is hanging an inch lower that the other. Sometime during the fight she's dislocated it. But, she's moving it which means she's put it back into socket. Tough bitch. Her hand is fucked. _

Riddick could tell by the way she was babying her hand that she had a break or at least a fracture.

_That's her right hand. Unless she can ignore the pain she's screwed. _

The crowd gasped snapping Riddick's eyes away from Wylie's broken hand to the arched doors. He stood slowly looking at what was coming into the ring.

"Lord Marshall," a voice from behind him chimed in. "Perhaps you would want to go down into the ring and talk with Wylie. "That," he pointed "is a Cananite...one of the most fearsome warriors in any star system since the time of the Furian, . Even under the best of circumstances she would have difficulty holding up. Surely, her surrendering her blade could not be a fate worse than death."

Riddick laughed. "You don't know her like I do."

"Sir. This could be your friends' life. And need I remind you that she is there because of you?"

_Failed once again. So pathetic, _The voice spit_. So incredibly sad. Do you kill everyone around you? Or is it just the bitches? Well hero. You've assigned her to her death. The best you can do is have the common decency to let her die with honor. A choice Caroline was never given. But, don't worry Riddick; she can share my stone box with me when she's gone…_

"Can it Jack, don't need your shit now." Riddick grumbled

_You hate me cause' you know I'm right._

"No Jack, got it all wrong _sister_, I hate you cause you just don't shut the fuck up."

Riddick looked over to the seven foot, scaled monstrosity that was heading right for Wylie. Riddick stood, and whispered something into Drysis's ear. He nodded once and sprinted down the stairs followed closely by Riddick.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Wylie had gritted her teeth and mentally set herself against the blows that she knew were coming. Her hand, now swelling to a royal purple bag of muscle was sending shooting pains up her arm and into her jaw. She cracked the neck and took a stance staring down the green eyed beast coming towards her.

_I'm not scared... who me? Who the fuck am I fooling? I wonder if that thing can even be considered a woman. I'd bet my right ass cheek that she didn't get the "first to be married" prize at her prom. Then again she might be beautiful on her home planet._

Wylie shuttered outwardly at the thought.

"WYLIE"

She turned quickly at the sound of her voice being shouted across the ring.

"Well, _welcome to my party."_ She said sardonically...

"Wylie..."Riddick grumbled."You kneed to forfeit this match. You wont make it, I know it, you know it." He pointed one of his fingers to her swelling hand. "Your shiv hand is shit. You're..."

She cut him off abruptly. "Look asshole. I never asked to be put down here in this fuckin' ring, I was happy fixing fuckin ships with only half a fuckin' memory. Then your _boys_ drag me up to this goddamn floating mausoleum and stick me into one of their shitting games. Your fault." She poked him in the chest with one of her bad fingers and gritted her teeth. "Not mine..."And now you want we to turn and walk out of this ring to be passed around like a piece of ass to anyone one of these walking corpses that want me. Sorry, Riddick." She hooked her thumb behind her. "I'll take my chances with captain ugly over there."

"She will kill you." Drisis popped in.

"Why you got money riding on it? And yeah, she probably will." She looked to Riddick pulling the glasses to the crown of her head.

Riddick flinched inwardly seeing the purple discolorations around the orbit of her eyes, a sign of internal head injury. The cornea of her left eye was shot through with dark blotches of blood.

"Riddick look at me. She made sure her eyes caught his, bouncing back the mirrored gaze. "I told you once that I knew I was gonna' buy it...poof…ghosted by Rozemond. He's gone now, so I've taken anything I got extra out of the bargain as free fuckin' time. It might be time. So don't give me the "fate worse than death" speech. Let me die with some fuckin' dignity if that's what's gonna' happen here tonight. And if I do…for Christ sakes don't put me in one of those horrible mother fuckin' coffins that you guys carry around with you…they look like shit. She laughed crazily and tossed her shiv back and forth between her hands.

"Go Riddick. Don't stand there with that fuckin' look on your face."

Riddick turned and started to walk away...

"Riddick." Wylie called back over her shoulder as the Caninite was bearing down on her. "If I do get out of this shithole you _so_ owe me."

Wylie looked back to the Caninite in front of her and gestured her had towards the other woman.

"Come on Capin' lets see whatcha' got.

The crowd roared like an angry beast howling for the carnage...

Wylie jerked as the feel of a scaled, tentacled arm wrapped itself around her waist and began to pop her ribs…


	25. Real Animal?

_Good god…what the fuck have I gotten myself into?_

The Caninites' grip had become increasingly painful. She could actually feel the costal joints of cartilage separating little by little. Wylie tried her hardest not to breathe knowing that each breath she exhaled the arm that was around her would become more strangulating.

_She's like a constrictor. A large snake._

Wylie looked up into the grey-green eyes of her opponent and smiled feeling the trickle of blood work its way from the corner of her lip and down over her chin.

_She's punctured one of my lungs…_Wylie let out a raspy chuckle. _Well I sure as fuck am not going to the doctor that fixed that problem again._

Wylie leaned back pushing at the large fleshy arm that was curled around her torso trying to buy herself some breathing room and maybe wiggle out.

_Yeah, fat fuckin' chance._

She noted the fact that her vision was starting to blur around the edges and that there were spots appearing in her vision.

_Gotta' get outa' here…suffocating._

Grabbing her shiv she curled her hand around it tight enough to hear one of the fractures break clean through with an audible pop. The searing pain brought everything into focus. She grinned once again pulling on the already taxed shoulder and pulled the shiv overhead and planted it squarely in the soft vulnerable under scales of the Caninites underarm. The arm momentarily loosened causing Wylie to take a deep rattling breath of air. She coughed immediately pushing at the wounded arm in the long ragged cut. Her opponent taken off guard by this sudden turn of events shrieked exposing a wide mouth full of reptilian needle teeth. The grip of the arm loosened Wylie all the way spilling her unceremoniously onto the floor.

Wylie looked up finally hearing the crowd

"Run, run, run."

She shook her head and doubled over momentarily holding her bruised, and broken ribs as she drew every painful breath, she looked up noting her only weapon jutting out of the flailing arm of the Caninite woman. Wiping her damaged hand under her nose to stop the blood from running into her mouth she looked up and walked over to the Caninite.

"Hey. You. Bitch." Wylie announced around a mouthful of blood before she spat.

Wylie reached past the taller woman's flailing arms and grasped the handle of her shiv with her good hand. She pulled it out quickly with a wet sucking sound. She spun facing the Caninite and looked into her wide salivating maw. She leaned back looking for a weakened unguarded area. Wylie noted the soft under bally scales and reared back plunging the shiv in-between the belly scales right above her navel. She looked up only to receive a face full of burning venomous liquid. Taken off guard she stumbled back sitting squarely on her ass. She wiped frantically at her face fighting to get the gelatinous venom off her face. Back peddling she tried to put as much space between her and the Caninite as possible.

The Caninite reared back filling her venom sacks with another burst of poisonous liquid. Wylie turned aside rolling on the sand floor.

_Everything slows down to this moment in time. Will I buy it? Nah, I think I'll fight._

She stood staggering a bit from the lack of oxygen. She looked the other woman squarely in the eye.

"Don't you know, its fuckin' impolite to spit?" She yelled.

Wylie ran up to the taller woman and ripped the siv across her abdominal scales laying her open from hip to hip. She grabbed her shiv with both hands and with a deft movement plunged it into the taller woman's lower jaw effectively pinning her mouth shut.

"There you _nasty_ bitch. Spit now motherfucker1" She screeched into the taller woman's face.

The Caninite's woman's eyes got very round; the look in them was one of disbelief. She smiled almost beatifically . The Caninite pulled a lethal looking iron tipped pike from behind her rubbing the tip against the venom now leaking from the corner of her lips. She silently blew Wylie a kiss and punched the spear through Wylie's shoulder with enough force to pin her to the floor of the sand covered ring. Wylie screeched in agony as the blade bounced off of her collar bone and the poison entered the wound. She lay still feeling her heart hammering against her already battered ribs and mentally mapping the course the poison used as it traveled through her body to her heart.

_This is it? I always figured that I would go out in a more glorious way then this, shit. Friggin' poison affecting my mind._

She moved her head listlessly from side to side feeling the point of the iron spike grating against the bone of her shoulder. She tried to make her body rise but she could get no more than a twitch out of both of the shoulders. She looked up noting the Caninite woman closing in, she had pulled the shiv out of her mouth and tossed it aside. It laid partially covered with sand in resting against the side of the ring.

_Bye, Riddic…._

It was then her mind shut off. Like throwing a switch. All coherent thought was gone.

She placed her feet underneath her using the force of both of her legs to pull the pike out of the ground. She stood staggering to the side; the look in her eyes caused the Caninite woman to take a precautionary step backwards. Wylie laughed, the blood running in a steady stream out of her mouth. She took a faltering step towards the Caninite woman.

Wylie looked into the crowd and then swiveled her head back towards her opponent the silver glint in them held no trace of humanity.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"My god Lord Marshal. Has she gone insane?" Drysis asked.

Riddick laughed. "No, she has finally learned to survive."

"But my lord she is dying."

"Watch Drysis...see what a real animal can do."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Wylie grabbed the wooden pike jutting out of her shoulder. She tugged on it experimentally. The metal edge had a hook on it lodging itself deeply in her flesh. She braced both of her hands against the wooden shaft, her blood making it slick. She yanked on it not noting the gush of rich garnet blood that followed it. She yanked on the pike again wrenching it free with a mass of her shoulder flesh attached to the hooked iron end. She balanced the wooden spear in her good hand testing the weight and hefted it up. Moving quickly towards the Caninite woman she buried the tip of the pike into her left temple. The taller woman toppled over with a groan as Wylie held on to the wooden end and followed the taller woman to the ground. Careful to avoid her snapping jaws Wylie stepped behind her and pushed down twisting the pike. The head disappeared into her skull with a sickening crunch as she hefted all her weight on to the slippery handle. Wylie grinned as she felt the pike pin the other side of the woman head to the ground.

Looking up she spotted her shiv and walked quickly over to it wiping her profusely running bloody mouth. She scooped it up having to rest one of her arms on the side of the ring to stop her from toppling over. Grabbing the shiv she paced back to the flailing woman and pulled up her neck, with one deft move she sliced through the tough muscle that held up the woman's head kneeling in a pool of the woman's hastily congealing blood. She sawed through the last of the spinal bone pulling the shiv through the rest of the muscle attaching the head. Pushing herself upright she used the rest of her remaining strength to stagger towards the center of the ring with the gore soaked pike in her hand, the Caninites head adorning the top.

She spat a mouthful of blood on to the area floor she wobbled using the pike for balance.

"Is there any fucker that wants to challenge me?" She yelled blood spattered spittle flying from her lips.

The crowd that had been hushed at the carnage remained silent.

"Good." She whispered as she collapsed into a pool of her own blood.


	26. AIR

_So your brother is dead. How do you feel about that?_

_How do you think I feel?_

_I know you're sad, but you also must remember that this is for the greater good. These experiments that I do. One day the world will look back on me and see me for the revolutionary that I am. I know you're in pain, but you are my best hope. I don't think your mother will make it either. They are both weak. But you my daughter, you will fight. You will make all my sacrifice worthwhile, you and only you will carry the blueprint of my genius. _

_I don't want to carry your blueprint. I want my brother back. _

………………………………………………………………………………………

Her memories twisted and turned back on one another. Slowly colliding atop each other until they were just a jumble of sights, sounds, colors and smells. She could feel her consciousness trying to surface like a man trapped under the water heading for the light knowing instinctively that there is air. They folded and then melted, looking in her minds eye like the melting film on a projector. She had seen one once in a museum. One of the antiques of ancient earth. She sighed inwardly letting the darkness and the forgetfulness surround her like a comforting black velvet glove.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Riddick had checked on her several times in the last week. The prognosis was always the same. Due to the severe head trauma, internal bleeding and massive injury she had slipped into a coma. One so deep that even the marvels of medical science couldn't pull her out of. He looked into the room even now seeing her frame pulled tight on a series of leavers to move the muscles and prevent them from atrophying during her long period of unconsciousness. The doctors had all said the same thing. That if she did wake up and that was a big if, that she might have brain damage or even worse, only have partial movement of her body. Riddick grimaced inwardly at the thought of this, he knew Wylie too well to think she would be content with the ability to move only some of her body. Worse yet the officials had asked for a recall of the tournament events, that a maimed Queen was in truth not a Queen at all. If Wylie did not make a full and speedy recovery soon the tournament would begin again and then another Queen would be chosen for him. Truth was he could care less about the future what with the voice of the deceased Jack constantly blubbering on in his mind.

"_So two dead and one in a coma…My, my, my a charmer you are! Poor women don't even have a chance around you do they? You know, I talked with Caroline the other day, yes we do keep in touch and she seems pretty confident that you will be sending Wylie to her grave soon enough."_

"Caroline? You talked with her?" Even to Riddick his voice sounded mildly desperate.

"_Are you shocked Riddick? Even in this place where you are the leader of a religion that has its whole basis in death and the afterlife you still don't believe. Well the answer is simple. There are a great many people here who are very anxious to speak with you. I envy you not once you pass. You will find the true meaning of hell."_

"If there is a hell, I've lived my whole life in it. Don't give me any shit now Jack. What did Caroline say?"

"_I will not be your ambassador to the other side Riddick. Find your own fuckin' way."_

"I'm sure I will soon Jack. And when I get over there I'll be sure to ring your scrawny neck."

Wylie mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and tried to turn her body, the pulleys attached to her skin clanked together fitfully. They sounded like the dull ring of bells in the wind. He raised an eyebrow moving the chair closer to her prone body. Smoothing his hand over the flesh of her shoulder he marveled once again that the wound that would have killed most people had closed cleanly leaving no trace. He moved his hand to her face pulling up one of the lids of her eye looking for the presence of the hemorraging that was present in the cornea. He moved his broad face closer to hers and jumped back as the silvered iris tracked him. Before he could pull his hand from her cheek the whine of the pulleys alerted him that her hand was moving towards his. With surprising strength she gripped his wrist and squeezed struggling to pull her other eye open. The long sooty lashes were caked closed with a weeks worth of sleep and the lashes finally pulled apart with a slight tearing sound.

"Wylie?" he asked, the deep bass grumble of his voice rattling the bed.

He watched as her throat worked painfully trying to make words.

"Water." She said in a deep rasping voice. Riddick leaned over to a bedside table and poured her a small cup. She grasped it in her pale shaking hands as Riddick helped her sit up. She took a small sip and cleared her throat.

"I thought I was dead."

"Thought you were too."

"Being dead blows."

Riddick quirked an eyebrow. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Wylie tried to laugh coughing violently as she did so almost dropping the cup in her hand. She gripped her ribs with her bad hand wincing.

"Feels like I had the shit kicked outta' me."

"You could say that. You don't remember anything that happened?"

"Nope."

"Kinda' figured you wouldn't. Seems to be that way. Don't worry bout' it kid. Rest."

Wylie could already feel herself lulling off.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Riddick closed the door behind him looking to the guard that stood in the hall across from it. He had posted him there just in case one of the "contestants" of the competition got overzealous and decided that didn't have enough fuckin' guts to go up against Wylie while she was awake. It was something that he hated about the Necromongers. They sure weren't afraid to die but, they couldn't fight worth a shit either. He turned head down and slowly began to walk away from the room mulling over his thoughts. It was when he was totally immersed in them when he ran straight into Drysis talking to a group of other officials in the opening of the corridor.

"And to bring up the question of the Queen, she still lays unconscious in the bed. If we are to set up the new rule of the Lord Marshall then we must act in all haste, a new Queen must be chosen immediately. This Gentleman is a boon not a tragedy, the selection of the Caninite warrior woman was a good one indeed. It took the non believer Wylie out to the running for the throne and now gives us leave to set a more malleable Queen on the throne in her place. Gentleman, I say that we must insure that the old Queen does not wake! This is imperative. We must set someone in there to dispose of her.

All the officials nodded in agreement.

"A little fucking premature aren't you?" Riddick growled angrily as he looked over to the crowd, his large frame leaning against the wall.

Drysis spun around his mouth caught in mid sentence he shut it quickly with an audible snap.

"Well, fucking answer me." He looked down at the smaller man his nostrils flaring with anger.

Drysis began moving backwards pushing up against the huddled bodies of the officials.

"You know," Riddick began quietly in an alarmingly calm voice as he pushed off from the wall behind him. "I knew I couldn't trust you mother fuckers, had that sneaking suspicion … the one that sneaks up your spine and kinda' taps there…watin' for someone to notice...that little sneakin' suspicion that tells ya something is goin' on and you don't listen…I've been lisitin' to mine for a long, long, time. Been keeping me from getting ghosted most of my life…

Riddick began to move slowly forward. He shot out his muscular arm and caught Drysis around the throat and tugged, knocking the smaller man off his feet and dragging him forward. He flexed his shoulder sending a fine tremble down into his forearm and into his hand...

Say goodbye Drysis. Riddick turned so that the smaller man who was now desperately clawing at Riddick's hand was in profile.

Riddick slowly bore all his crushing weight into his hand watching with a wide grin on his face as the smaller blood vessels in Drysis's eyes began to burst and he began to purple slightly around the mouth.

"See guys, in all the movies you fuckin' see," Riddick said as he applied more pressure and Drysis squirmed.

" They tell ya that strangling the life outa' some one is fast, cllleeeannn," he hissed, "simple. Its not, slow, so slow it takes for fucking ever before the piece of shit your tryin' to ghost stops floundering like a fish outa' water".

He shook Drysis who had begun to turn an alarming shade of purple for emphasis.

"Before they black out…before the oxygen to their brain completely shuts off and you pass out. It's painful like droundin'…bitch is their aint no water and plenty of air if you could only….get a breath.

He turned his mirrored gaze on the crowd and let all the sanity run out of his expression leaving his eyes cold as two nickels that had been left in the snow.

He tilted back his head letting out a throaty chuckle …

"So I want to know which of you fucks were gonna' have the balls to go in there and ghost her?"

"WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKS?"

The crowd of officials stared at Riddick as if he had sprouted two heads

Riddick looked down to the smaller man that was in his grasp. He released Drysis with a careless movement letting his knees hit the floor with a hollow thud. Quickly he pulled out his shiv from around his back and pushed the now wheezing Drysis over on to his stomach and pinned him down with his knee.

"Watch." The word was uttered with a guttural sound making it more of a growl than anything.

Riddick turned swiftly pivoting his weight on his knee and picked up both of Drysis legs and bending them towards him. With a swift stroke he severed both of Drysis's Achilles tendons and listened with pleasure as he squealed. He turned again and pulled Drysis up by the hair of his head arching his back at a painful angle. He used the point of his shiv and angled it into Drysis eye right above the tear duct. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the eye out of its orbit and on to the floor with a wet splat, its optical cord trailing. The second eye followed suit and rolled drunkenly towards the disbelieving group of officials.

Riddick stood letting one heavily booted foot land in a puddle of blood.

"Should ghost you." Riddick said lowly. Instead, he kneeled scooping up both eyes in one hand and severed the optic cord neatly with the blade of his shiv. He turned and motioned for the guard standing at the door of Wylie's room to come forward.

"Take these and put them in a jar next to the Queens bed. She will understand."

The guard nodded his understanding and moved off down the hallway.

Riddick stood once again and placed the sole of his bloody boot against Drysis backside pushing him forward. The movement caused Drysis already weak hands to slide in his own gore and slam his chin against the hard steel of the floor.

"Get.Up." Riddick roared over Drysis forlorn wailing. "Go show the rest of the officials what happens to fuckin' traiters."Drysis looked up to Riddick his eyes showing nothing but blank bloody sockets and muttered "Yes Lord Marshall."

………………………………………………………………………………….


	27. Fight

Wylie woke from the state of half sleep that she was currently in to crack one red-rimmed eye. She willed the other one to follow suit with an extreme amount of effort listening to the tiny pops her eyelashes when they finally came unstuck from her cheek. She wiped angrily at her face trying to chase the vestiges of last night's nightmares out of her head. She pushed herself up off the hospital bed with a grunt of effort alarmed by all the pulleys that surrounded her and that swayed drunkenly with her every movement. Reaching to the table beside her with a trembling hand she moved to pick up the half glass of water she was sure Riddick had left last time he visited. Her hand bumped into something else. Tilting her head to the side she looked over her shoulder as the muscles of her neck screamed at her in their loudest voice possible.

_Looks like a jar of….eyes? I wonder who's these could be?_ She grinned devilishly as she picked up the jar and a fine tremor ran down both arms.

She shook the jar slowly trying to get the eyes to turn slowly so she could get a look at their irises.

_Who do you belong to? Hmmm. Muddy brown…shit brown if I didn't know the difference. Drysis! These are your eyes you officious little prick! Well, I never did like you anyway you annoying little bastard. As a matter of fact as soon as I get out of this fucking bed I think I'll go tell him that I keep his friggin' eyes on a table in my room. If he would like to come and "see" them I'd be more than happy to "show" them to him._

Wylie chuckled like a mad woman as she began to slowly detach the pulleys from the large muscles of her arms.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

A frustrating and nauseating thirty minutes later Wylie had finally released herself out of her wire prison. She had vomited several times due to the strain of making her muscles work for the first time in weeks. The pain had been unbearable, that and the slop she supposed they had been choking down her throat didn't agree with her. She staggered as she stood gripping the side of the bed for balance. Slowly she scooped up the jar that lay with her eyes on the side of the table and took her tentative steps towards the door of her room with her hand held out in front of her for balance.

Pushing open the door to the hall was a brand new experience in pain and nausea but at least she thought to her self proudly _I didn't yack all over the hallway floor_. She leaned into the dimly lit and remote hallway wondering where the hell everyone was. She moved her feet quietly along the hospital floor and began working her way down the hallway finally reaching a corner and pausing for breath, she leaned up against the wall.

"Hello?" She called down the hallway.

"This walking shit is getting old." She grumbled to herself. She shook the jar again to have the eyes float in their milky liquid and stare blankly at her their optical chords slowly floating behind them like the fins of a fish. "Come on Drysis," she chuckled. "Lets go see if we can find anyone." And off she went down the hall, her precious jar of eyes clutched under one arm.

……………………………………………………………………………………

"You as Lord Marshall will have to subjugate her under your rule." A voice from the back of the throne room spoke out.

"A queen must be obedient in all things." Came another.

And then it was as if the throne room filled to the brim with angry yelling voices. Like a glass of champagne that you have filled too close to the top and that bubbles over the rim. Riddick shook his head trying to clear the voices.

"QUIET!" He stood and roared across the bickering, screeching subjects. "She is mine!" he said possessively."My queen, my decision to do with as I fucking choose. An' none of you fuckin' Necromonger lap dogs are gonna' take her away from me.

The crowd stood in stunned silence as Riddick continued.

"You already took Jack away from me you fuckin' bastards! She's in a box rotting away on your fucking ship!" With every word Riddick seemed to get angrier. "So you fucks are into death? How's about I order the execution of each and every one of the Necromonger elite? Then you can all hold each others hands in the Underverse or where ever the fuck it is.

"So is that a marriage proposal?" a sly voice behind him said.

Riddick turned on a booted heel and looked behind him. Wylie stood leaning up against the wall in her monochromatic best, a Vestuvian cigarette jutting rakishly out of her mouth and sending little eddies of smoke around her wide lips. She had lost weight from her time in bed but that did nothing to belie the round curve of her hip or ass clothed in the tight black pants she was wearing. At her booted feet rested her jar of Drysis's eyes and she noted him looking at them with an evil grin. He could tell she was holding herself up by sheer bravado the muscles in her thighs practically hummed with the effort it was taking to hold herself up. She moved quickly eyeing the crowd and pulled a dangerously long shiv from behind the small of her back. Still, she stood leaning against the wall smoking her gingerbread cigarette as if she had not a care in the world.

"Leave." Riddick said in a quiet rumble to the assembled officials. They scattered to their exits like leaves to the wind.

Riddick moved down off the Dias in that ground eating stride of his and stood in front of Wylie and looked down at her hands on his hips.

"Why you here kid? Thought I told you to rest."

"You know me Riddick, never been really good at taking orders…or obeying them for that matter. So what's this shit I hear about the Queen being yours?"

Riddick chuckled under his breath. "You _are_ mine in every meaning of the word…._mine."_ He poked a self important thumb into the middle of his chest and looked down at Wylie.

Wylie's expression colored angrily. Her voice remained cool. "Last time I checked _Riddick_, I belonged to no one but me."

"My ship, my rules." He countered back just as coolly.

"I warned you about this possessive shit before Riddick."

"You won't fuckin' leave this ship without my permission." Riddick grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise it.

Wylie moved quickly placing the point of her shiv right above Riddick's jugular. "Don't make the mistake of under estimating me Riddick. I do as I see fit, as I fucking please. Don't think that I'm some little slip of a girl that will go along meekly with whatever plan you have for me. Yeah, I may like you, fuck I even respect you. But, nobody, nobody tells _me where to get off!_

"You will not leave this ship with out my permission!" Riddick roared into her face.

Wylie turned the shiv from Riddick's neck and plunged it into the wall behind her, shaking from the effort it took. She wrenched her arm out of Riddick's grip and ducked under one of his arms staring back angrily at him as she lit another cigarette.

"We'll see about that wont we Riddick." She turned and walked out of the throne room slamming the door behind her.

Riddick looked down noting the jar of eyes on the floor by his boots.

_Fuck, she must be pretty pissed she left her eyes she never does that._


	28. yours?

Wylie stormed out of the throne room, her anger making the protesting muscles in her legs squeal with pain. She concentrated on using that anger to put one foot in front of the other, to propel herself down the hallway. She could hear Riddick's massive footsteps behind her as she slowed her pace pulling deeply on her cigg.

"You gonna' turn around or keep walking?"

"Thought I'd keep walking, the exercise is good for my legs ya know."

Wylie stopped; keeping her head pointed down the hall as she heard Riddick's footsteps slow behind her.

"Told you to rest girl."

"Know you did." She spat between a lung full of gingerbread smoke." And just how many times have I taken advise or listened to orders?"

"None.' Riddick grumbled.

"Then what in the fuck makes this time seem any different?"

Riddick blew out a massive breath causing the hairs at the nape of her neck to sway. "Don't know, thought you would think it was for your own good."

Wylie laughed, it was a harsh, barking sound.

"Yeah, and let the would be assassins get me in my sleep. Definitely for my own fucking good."

"So you heard the conversation in the hall?"

"Most of it yeah. Though it came through in bits and pieces."

"You know I'd protect you."

Wylie laughed again this time it was a sound of pure amusement.

"Sorry to sound sarcastic, but you've done a real fuckin' fine job of it so far."

"What does that fuckin' mean?" Riddick growled into her ear moving closer to her back.

"It means," Wylie spun blowing out a cloud of smoke and crushing her cigg underfoot for emphasis. "That I can watch out for myself. Seems to be what I've been doing all along."

"Really?" Riddick growled the sarcasm thick in his voice

"_Really"_ Wylie shot back at him just as sarcastically. "As I remember correctly you're not a fucking hero remember? And just who am I to you? Just a walking liability right?"

"What do you want from me Wylie?"

"Nothing Riddick. Nothing at all. Let me fucking go. I've paid my debt in full."

Riddick shook his head. "Can't, your mine."

Riddick looked at Wylie the dangerous glint was back in her eyes and her muscles trembled with a barely contained rage.

"Does that get you Wylie? That your mine...Really gets under your skin doesn't it? Little too close to the fuckin' truth? He sniffed the air around her. "I can tell you want to be." He laughed; a sound of pure male satisfaction.

"I don't belong to anyone." She countered and stepped back from him. "Don't make this ugly Riddick. It doesn't have to be."

Riddick grinned…"Ugly is just the way I like it."

Wylie turned and leaned against the gall striking a match against the heel of her boot. She sucked in harshly on the cigg blowing the smoke in Riddick's direction.

"So you're saying I'm not going without a fight?"

"Exactly.' Riddick grumbled moving in front of Wylie.

She raised her eyes to meet his; her gaze impassive. "Why?" she asked quietly around a mouth full of smoke.

Riddick threw back his head and laughed. "Come on Wylie. Look at you, you can barely stand. You're doing everything fuckin'thing to just keep you feet. You're fucked if you even try."

"Might be." She sighed. "But I'd be willing to try."

Riddick moved closer to her his large muscled arms pinning her to the bulk head.

"Can the shit Wylie, you know it and I know it. You're not up to it."

Riddick moved his leg behind hers sweeping her feet out from under her in one deft move and causing her knees to hit the floor with a deafening crunch. Wylie looked up at him her eyes accusing and the cigg still smoldering between her lips.

"Simple." Riddick ground out, looking down at Wylie. "Now, either get up and walk back to the infirmary or I'll carry you. One or the other."

Wylie glared at Riddick and pulled herself up by using his arms for balance.

"Walking."

"Knew you couldn't stay on your knees for long." Riddick grumbled behind her as she limped towards the infirmary.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Wylie woke to a grumbling sound and the sounds of the air handler unit making its quiet hissing noise in the back ground.

"Caroline…"

"I didn't mean for it to happen..."

"Not for me."

"CAROLINE!"

Wylie jumped at the sound of Riddick's anguished cries. He moved restlessly in the bed next to her tossing fitfully in his sleep.

"Caroline, I love you."

Wylie clenched her teeth and rose quietly from the bed moving Riddick's arm carefully from around her. She dressed quietly in dim half-light of the room.

……………………………………………………………………………….

Wylie walked her footsteps thundering in her ears…

She was pissed and pissed was never a really good emotion for her.

_His? Ownership? Right. Not equals or even partners I'm his. Sure I can deal with that when in never? See men have this really fucked up way at lookin' at things as if something that they can overpower is automatically theirs, and I'm not even talkin' bout' physically either; if they can do it emotionally they will. Just one big fucking testosterone trip. Seems to me that the women are always getting the shitty end of the stick. If you can't take care of yourself your weak and if you can you're a bitch. Well which one is it going to fuckin' be? Am I "man" enough to take care of myself or some little thing you see as a pet or a toy? Cause I sure as hell don't see myself as anyone's fucking toy…so I guess that makes me a bitch. I've lived with the title before and it's not like anything was ever accomplished by being a fuckin' nice person. And lord fucking knows I've tried. Seems to me in this universe that we live in; all the centuries that we've been alive; they'd let off, give us some fucking slack. But no, we're either their mother, sister or the woman they fuck. Someone once told me that, I forget now who it was but I've held it true my entire life. Me? Well not that I think that Riddick thinks that I'm his mother or sister. Nope, I'm the woman he fucks. I don't even think the thought of any type of emotional tie has even entered his mind. Do I think he's capable of love? Yes. I do. But that space has already been taken a long time ago by someone with the name of Caroline. I think he loved her in his sadistic kind of way. In the best way that a killer can. Not that I have any room to point fingers. I know she died. Don't know how. But I heard him call out her name in his sleep with enough anguish in his voice to be jealous, to want that kind of primal protectiveness' for myself. I know I'll never have it. It has been said that a man will only love once in his life, really love that is. I think in his own twisted way Riddick's "once" was Caroline. It's also said that a man will look for a woman that he loves second best to fill her place. My thoughts are that in that first kind of love their is some sort of purity? Vulnerability? That once destroyed can never be brought back. I would think that if Riddick had ever been vulnerable…laughable I know, that it was once and only once and I will never play second best, I will never be second. Sorry I don't take the scraps from anyone's table. So Caroline, politely, fuck you. I will not be owned, and certainly not as a second choice…I might have loved once. Its said that "tis better to love and lost than to never loved at all." Fuck that. _

She turned quickly towards the corridor that housed the loading docks for all the smaller jumpers and walked briskly past several heavily armed guards without even a second glance. Choosing one of the smaller jumpers she climbed inside and programmed the coordinates for Vestuvia. It seemed as good a place as any to go.

Riddick woke to an empty bed with a simple but elegant note lying where Wylie should have been. It was written in the sprawling script of Vestuvian calligraphy.

Riddick, I can't be yours, you belong to someone else-

Wylie


	29. homecoming

The rain fell in immense splats as she walked down the cramped street of her home planet. Once maybe twice in every ten years it would rain but when it would it would practically drown out everything for days. That was exactly what happened to be going on as Wylie walked down the street. Puddles the size of small children's wading pools covered the street from one side to the other as purple lighting raced across the sky turning everything a sickly shade of ultra violet. The thunder followed immediately like a whip crack right over the street. The packed street momentarily paused scattering underneath any overhang they could find. Wylie grinned out of the corner of her mouth and jammed her hands further into the pockets of her duster. She tilted her head downwards feeling the tendrils of her sodden hair snake their way around her neck. She looked to the side and stepped off the side of the street coming in front of the bar. The dim red lights that shone from the antiquated glass windows of the store front shimmed with the wash of liquid drops that trailed down them. She grinned again looking up and noting the lack of whores on the balcony

_Guess the rain tends to be bad for the ol' prostitution business. _

She stepped to the wooden platform and off the muddy street her boots making a small squelching sound and tugged on the rain swollen front door. Wylie stepped inside shaking her hair slightly to get the moisture out of it.

_Not that it matters anyways, I'm soaked through to the fucking skin. _

She looked down at the dripping black duster, and tank she was wearing. The only part of her that wasn't drenched were her boots and pants, the pants partly because they ran high on the vinyl side; and the sixteen buckle boots that marched themselves halfway up her calves were made of leather. She moved farther into the bar looking at the patrons all huddled over their steaming beverages of choice. Some with whores on their laps and some in the far corner playing a game of billiards. She looked over to the small boned prostitute who was now engaged in ramming a minor's grubby hand down the front of her equally dirty bodice. Wylie shrugged keeping her head down and moving over to the bar leaving a wake of watery footsteps behind her.

_Any way to keep warm I suppose. _

She pulled a metal stool up to the bar and sat down pulling her duster off her back and laying it over the back of the closest chair. The water plopped off of it miserably matching the rhythm of the water that was slowly rolling off the bridge of her nose. She cracked her neck feeling the vertebra crackle audibly and shrugged her shoulders. The holster that was carrying her 50 caliber revolver was really cutting into her skin. It was an antique. She knew what with it being a revolver and carrying ammunition; but she liked the feel of it and didn't have to worry about pesky little problems like dead cells or loss of plasma. It had started out life as a 45' she had it modded to carry 50'cal, had the barrel bored out, put a hydraulic shock absorbent system so the bastard thing didn't tear your arm off and added armor piercing hollow points just for jollies.

_In like a dime, out like a pizza._

Besides, a bullet would kill you just a dead as a plasma burst and the best yet is the fact that most armor and persons trying to kill you had not had to deal with the ballistic threat of good ol' fashioned bullets in oh what a century or so? So it did come as some surprise when she pulled it out. It made her some what of an oddity though, the woman with the hand gun.

_Sounded like a cheesy porn/western._ She chuckled to herself.

Ever since the government had gone belly up on Vestuvia and they couldn't afford to protect its citizens anymore they had given over to a state of Marshall Law.

_Which means boys and girls, _Wylie thought to herself, _that Vestuvia has become very much like the ol' west that everyone glamorizes from ancient earth. Minus the horses of course I don't think I could deal with all the poop lying everywhere or for that matter the cheesy outfits. _

She reached over and dug into the pocket of her duster pulling out a battered pack of cigs and a credit chip. She plunked chip down on the bar and reached for the pack of matches laying beside her. She popped one on the bar and touched the smoldering end to her cigg. Leaning back on the chair she blew out the smoke in lazy rings. Leting her mind wander over the past few months.

She had taken on a job as a mechanic, trying to fit in as much as humanly possible. Trying to forget all the fucked up things that had happened to her in her past. It paid dick but it got her by and it seemed to calm her to give her some kind of routine in her day. No one had really taken notice of her a shine job. On the planet it wasn't really uncommon; what with all the minors on the planet.

"Havin' anything to drink?" The voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, bottle of Vestuvia black label, top shelf, don't try to shit me with any of that rat gut home brew poured into a black label bottle; I know the difference."

"No mam wouldn't do that to ya. Run a reputable business here." He said as he wiped one of the glasses with a rag.

"Well as reputable as your business can be." She said with a chuckle looking around.

"Ya look familiar to me…know you from somewhere?"

Wylie looked down to the bar taking another deep breath off of her cigg. It lit up her face with a reddish glow. "Nope. Haven't seen me around." She said menacingly.

The bartender put up his hands as if to ward off a mock blow. "Far be it from any of my business to pry, but you look like an old friend of mine. As a matter of fact if I didn't know the difference I could swear I was looking at her carbon copy."

"Who's your friend mister?" Wylie said lowly.

"Andram, Andram Wylie." The bartender said quietly as he placed the bottle in front of her.

"I used to go to school with her. A looker she was; went off and married some doctor I hear. Had a few younguns' a girl and a boy.

"Don't know em'." She said quietly sipping the whisky and feeling it burn her throat...

"Now you can fool some people miss, but not all. I did meet with her and the kids. Seen em' round in town and bumped into her a couple times myself. You're her daughter." The bartender said quietly and looked her squarely in the eye.

"What if I am?"

"Girl, what in the hell has happened to you?" Not that I don't know about what happened to your brother and folks talk about what happened to your daddy to this day. But you, you seem to be a mystery, no one knows just what happened to you.

"Things that I try really hard to forget about."

"Try you may miss, but the past has a real bad way of comin' up and bitin' you in the ass when you least expect it."

She sipped quietly on her whiskey and flung her damp hair out of her eyes. "You're preaching to the fuckin quire."

"Got a shine job and all, lookin' by the size of that gun your carryin' Id say you were in some deep shit little girl."

"Just got out of some as a matter of fact."

"Well, came to the wrong place to stay out of it if you don't mind me saying so."

"You know something I don't?"

"Nope not a thing, he said quietly. Just seems that you daddy had a lot of powerful friends who were none too happy to see you sent away. They wanted to take matters into their own hands. They wanted you dead before you ever left the planet."

"Seems they didn't get their whish." She said slowly running the warm liquor around in her mouth. "Sometimes," she said quietly "I wish that they did..."

"So girl, you got a name."

Wylie grinned looking to the bartender. "Nope, girl will do just fine for now."

"You've been here for what three months now?"

"Bout that." Wylie said pulling on her cigg and blowing out the smoke. "How'd ya know?"

"People talk. What with the killing in the streets and the violence some things never change. People still love to gossip, lately the gossip's been about you."

Wylie chuckled amused.

"Let me guess, I'm invincible right? The big, bad prison bitch that will steal your children in the middle of the night and sacrifice them to some kind of pagan god."

"No, gossip says that people are lookin' to kill you. Your daddy's friends know your back in town."

She looked the bartender in the eye rivulets of water running down her face. "So tell me friend, who they are and what do they look like?" She said slowly as she sipped her whiskey casually.


	30. hunted

She woke to the sound of thunder washing away the last of her dreams as the rain washed away the baked dust on her windows. Turning she looked at the baleful glow of the clock on the side of her bed and sat up abruptly. She paused. Groaning as she sat up and feeling the effects of the night of too much good Vestuvian drink and smokes. Running her hands through her hair and absent-mindedly pulled the tangles out with her fingers. Her head pounded and vision blurred just taking in the surroundings of the small room she had rented for the evening. She groaned aloud this time forcing her aching muscles to pull themselves from the bed and leaving their warm comfort. She padded carefully to the bathroom feeling the damp rise up in little puffs following each footfall. Splashing water on her face did nothing to relieve the caked on feeling of weariness that she had. It seemed as though the last few months had ground into her skin and now it was proving difficult to get them out. Looking into the mirror she noted her face. Upturned silver eyes, straight nose, wide lips, long hair,

_No grey yet at least. I know I've earned it. _

She sighed and moved away from the mirror going to the side of the bed and began pulling back on her clothes. She reached over and touched the blade of the shiv in an almost comforting gesture. She smiled pulling the corner of one of her wide lips up. Slowly she slipped the head of her tank over her and wiggled her arms through the holes. Looking around the room her eyes tried to take in any thing that she might have forgotten. Shrugging she turned and walked to the door closing it with an audible squeal behind her.

………………………………………………………………………………….

The lobby was a riot of color, people and creatures moving in every direction. Unlike most planets Vestivua was known as the gamblers planet. Craps, roulette, blackjack…whores…whatever you were looking for was right here in almost every lobby and every bar anywhere on the planet. Men who were serious about good booze and cheap sex were always here stalking the crowds like wolves following a heard. Wylie squinted her eyes against the glare of the myriads of tiny flashing lights, bells and whistles announcing jack pots.

_This is doing nothing fro my fucking headache. _She thought to herself as she pulled the glasses from the dip in her tank. She slid them on carelessly running them up the bridge of her nose with the tip of her finger. An Amazon dressed in her show girl best bumped into her nearly knocking her off her feet. Wylie calmly pulled down the glasses and gave her a watery if not effective glare.

_It's really hard to look big and bad when you can only make eye contact with her boobs._

"Wanna watch where the fuck you're goin'?" She said harshly eyeing the showgirl malevolently.

The showgirl blushed and tried to look demure as Wylie skated around her towards the front desk.

_Little hard to look innocent with your tits pushed up to your chin…bimbo_

Wylie moved towards the desk keeping her head low and her glasses pushed tight to her face to reduce the glare that seemed to be getting brighter by the second.

_Miserable fuckin' planet for a hangover_

She walked up to the line that was currently waiting to either check out or in and stood impatiently tapping a booted foot. Looking to the head of the line she lost all track of time when a patron of the establishment who has obviously been way too liberal with the planets fine sprits ran strait into her with a thud.

"Shorry." The drunken man said through the corner of his mouth waving his arm trying to regain his balance and sloshing a fine dollop of what smelled to be black label down the side of her pants leg. Wylie looked up trying to find the composure not to gut the little drunken man on the spot.

_Bimbos and drunks…my nights lookin' up...so far I've almost been tit smothered and had good black label poured on me…now all in need is to get soaked in a down pour and have a dog piss on my leg. _

"Mam? Mam? A small polite voice behind the counter called to her. Lost in her thoughts she had forgotten entirely about the line and glanced around anxiously to note that she was standing quite alone in the lobby.

"Sorry." She said under her breath a bit sheepishly as she moved to the counter.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Stepping out into the damp street she moved a distance from the main entrance of the hotel and leaned against the wall; propping one booted foot up against the paneling of the building and leaning there. Wylie pulled the glasses from off her face hooking them back in-between the dip in the front of her tank. Sticking her hand in the pocket of her duster she moved her fingertips knowingly over the battered case of Vestuvians and pulled one out and placed it between her wide lips quickly followed it with the iridescent glow of the lighter. She sighed inwardly letting her thoughts drift with the smoke …

_It's not enough of an insult that my father killed off my whole family, with the exception of himself, nope took care of that one on my own. Messy? You betcha'. You can imagine the trill of horror that went through me standing over the corpse of my father, his brains slowly leaking out of his head like so much spoiled porridge. Its funny really, the fact that I felt almost vindicated really. The fact that I felt that I had done something important, took another murderer off the street. In some small way I felt that I had avenged my family. Never once did it occur to me that I had become as nasty and tainted as he was. I guess that's what they mean when they say that hindsight is 20/20. And now, well now is a totally different story isn't it? His friends are lookin to kill me. To avenge him. I don't really think that I had any friends that would do the same for me. _

_You never know though death has a funny way of makin' people come out of the woodwork. Making saints outa' fuckin' sinners. Ol' George from down the street could have been a mass murdering fuck that pushed little ducks in the water and pissed in the watering supply for a little league game….but as soon as murder comes into the equation, well he shit roses and had the voice of an angel. From what the bartender told me it seems like there are about three of em' looking for me. All of them are supposed to be real bad assess too. A group of hit men sent by the "friends" of good ol' daddy. Friends? There's something to fucking laugh about. I would think that they were more of investment brokers then friends looking to avenge the loss of all the money that they had dumped into my dad's research. So here I am on the nasty end of the stick once again. Seems like I'm always there though…on the dirty side. _

She shrugged flicking the butt into a feted puddle on the side of the street. She hunkered down into the folds of the duster and started out into the street unhurriedly

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The bar was at its usual Vestuvian best; crowded, noisy ad full of the life that made Vestuvia so popular. Whores and assholes.

_Tho' it seems to be running high to the asshole side of things. _She thought as some grubby minor pushed past her to get to the bar.

Wylie moved quietly down to the end of the bar and sat letting the coat pool wetly down around the bottom of the stool. She looked up, another cigg poking from the side of her mouth and wiped a stray hand thorough her rain damp hair. She waved over the bartender and tossed a chip down on the bar top smiling wickedly as she leaned back on the chair and laced her fingers behind her head.

"Didn't have enough last night? He asked laughingly.

Wylie smiled and shook her head pulling on the cigg. "Nope. Just got warmed up good when you closed down the bar." She said as she leaned into the bar.

The bartender chuckled pulling a bottle of black label from behind him. "Try to go easy on us tonight Wylie. We've only got so much in stock.

Wylie grabbed the bottle and twisted the cork. It came out with an audible pop. She pushed the chip to the edge of the bar where the bartender went to scoop it up.

"There will be no need for that." A voice that sounded like warm honey said behind her. Wylie looked up into the bartender's scared eyes and cursed inwardly.

_I fucking knew it was a bad day to get out of bed….shit._

She turned slowly following the sound of the mans steps with her ears. He stopped abruptly, sliding into the stool next to her with the grace of a cat.

Tall was her first thought.

Shit was her second.

_Dressed in head to toe black, all right nothing remarkable there. Black tank, with well muscled arms poking through it. Tan skin, close cropped hair. I'd say almost bald if I didn't have Riddick to compare it to. Black eyes, cargo pants, black boots, over shoulder holster, plasma gun, inner pants holster, plasma gun again…and more knives hidden on him that you can shake a stick at. …that tattoo that's the problem….fuckin Rasiains._

The man next to her smiled and raised his own glass of Vestuvian black label. His eye slid over her and blinked sideways at her.

_I always hate it when those mother fuckers do that. It's unnerving as hell. I'm in soooo much shit right now._

Fuck! Wylie said adamantly.

The man to her side threw back his head and laughed the thick sound crawling over her skin. That's what I love about you Vestuvians, your way with words. But mistress I believe the word is fucked." He leveled his black eyed gaze on her and let all the emotion drain out of his face. "Yes, fucked would work rather nicely.


	31. Ashes to Ashes

_First I'd like to say that I hate bring hit in the back of the head. _

_Second, I really hate being put into restraints and tied to the floor….with that being said, did I tell you how much I hate being hit in the head. Yeah, I did…but I'm getting a little ahead of myself aren't I?_

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

"This is really starting to get old." Wylie said looking at the Rasian sitting next to her.

He quirked his head to the side with a bird like movement.

"Old? How so? Didn't we just begin you and I?" He made an impatient gesture towards

Wylie.

She jerked back a little as he moved his hand towards her.

"A little nervous are we?

'

He smiled reflecting her in his button-black eyes as he blinked sideways at her again. Wylie fought to keep the distaste off her face.

"You know if you were trying to pass for human I would knock off all that spooky shit."

She leaned in a little closer to him as if to tell him a secret. "You know…most of the humanoid population doesn't know that you don't have to blink that second set of eye lids that you have. So most of them will just sit here and be grossed out by the fact that you are blinking sideways…but me?" She said almost in a whisper as she sipped some of the black label out of the bottle and slowly sat it back down on the bar with a quiet clink.

"I know that you guys use it as a private little joke just to watch us poor, one eye-lidded persons squirm." She chuckled and shook her head.

"So what brings you guys down here?" She asked sardonically

"Guys?" He said with a tilt of his head.

She laughed again and took another swig off the bottle and wiped her lips with the back

of her hand.

"Yeah," she shook her head. "Guys, there are two more of you in the building so, again," she said lowly with a slight grumble in her voice, "why are you here?"

"To collect the bounty." He said levelly.

Wylie looked up at the bartender and then over to the man sitting next to her.

"Thought so. Just had to be sure." She moved her hand swiftly and pointed the bored out barrel of her gun squarely in-between his eyes. She grinned evilly. Taking another swig of the black label

"Blink now mother fucker."

The bartender pushed his body tight up against the bottle cabinet behind him.

"Wylie!" He barked, "Don't start any shit in my bar!" He bellowed over the din of noise.

The patrons of the bar one by one began to divert their attention to the bellowing bartender and the scene in front of them.

"He started first." She croaked. The man sitting in front of her grinned. Wylie tightened the grip on the gun and grinned back.

"What the fuck is so amusing?"

"Behind you." He said.

She looked deep into the mans eyes in front of her and caught the glimmer of movement behind her. She did the best thing she could think of at the time. Wylie curled up her legs between herself and the bar and pushed off knocking herself and the chair backwards on to the floor of the bar. Both the chair and Wylie landed with an ear splitting crunch. She still had her gun tightly grasped in her hand as she scampered to flip over and untangle herself from the chair.

As she scrambled to get to her feet the second Rasian sprang over her, apparently mistiming his jump and not expecting Wylie to knock herself backwards. He collided with the man at the bar making a meaty smack and the sound of them fighting to get off each other ensued. Wylie stood and quickly turned to grab the bottle off the bar. The bartender tried to squeak a protest out but Wylie turned the barrel of the gun to face the bartender… she shot him a dirty look and shook her head.

"What a waste." She said out loud as she uncorked the bottle with her teeth and dumped the contents over the unsuspecting Rasians head. The Rasians stood still for a moment and turned to face her receiving a dollop of burning whisky right in his eyes. Wylie reached in her pocket and produced her silver cased butane lighter. The bartender's eyes widened as Wylie glanced over to him.

"If you're planning on leaving," she shouted over the screech of the Rasians voice, "now would be a good time to do it."

She hit the Rasian with the lighter and threw up an arm over her eyes to guard them.

The bluish flames turned an alarming shade of green as the man doused in whisky began to shriek. The liquor began to burn off and caught on the dark hair of his scalp; crawling like fingers up to the crown of his head and down to his shoulders. The second Rasian began to screech as well clawing at the bar trying to wedge himself out from under the first burning man with alarming bird-like shrieks.

Wylie began backing up watching the flesh begin to flake up on the mans scalp and turn into little bits of ash. Slowly floating off in the thermal breezes of the fire now beginning to spread down his legs with alarming speed. The second man had managed to get out from under his wailing partner but not with out catching his hands in the blaze. The fire too began marching its way up both of his arms as well. As he shook his hands violently he tried to get the now purple-greenish flames to stop consuming the skin of his hands. He sank to his knees desperately beating his hands on the floor and only seceding in fanning the voracious flames even more. Several of his digits now had the look of ghoulish birthday candles as they burnt off at the base. As he anguished and wailed on the wooden floor; his partner had lost both of his arms to little more than black oozing, burning stumps. The remainder of the arms lay in little drifting piles of grey ash at his feet.

The first Rasian, seeing his partners' distress crawled to him using the stumps of his hands above the wrists causing the burning radial bone to make scraping noises on the floor. He inadvertently moved his knee into a spilt puddle of the blue flaming liquid as he reached for his partner with the stumps of his arms. The hungry blue liquid soaked into the cloth and shot flames up his legs having them pool into his back where they began to lick hungrily at the fat deposits there. The flaming greenish-teal flame burst over them turning them into a sea colored supernova.

Wylie backed up even further stepping away from the blistering heat and shielding her eyes. The screams of the two men were overtaken by the roar of the hungry flames. The yells finally died down to a low pitch wail then a whisper finally a squeal. Wylie lowered her arm, looking into the smoldering pile of loose bits, bones and ash. She coughed once. Running her hand deep into the pocket of the duster she pulled out her smokes and popped one into her mouth where it jutted out at an angle rakishly. She moved closer to the pile of bits and ash and moved the wad with her foot. She bent down and scooped up one of the discarded fingers of the incinerated man that was still smoldering at the end and lit her cigg with it. Wylie stood, dusted off her hands on the legs of her pants and walked to the bar humming to her self. She looked over the rim of the bar to where the bartender was hunkered down.

"Got a dustpan?" She laughed evilly as she grabbed up her duster and slowly walked out the door…

_Rasians, just flammable little things aren't they? I'm guessing that's why there not really big smokers._

She pulled a large lung of air and slowly turned down the street. She paused in her steps listening …

"I can hear you asshole."

She turned as the last letter cleared her lips and felt the dull crunch of a club hitting the side of her face. She stumbled, the wind knocked out of her and fell to her knees. A second strike hit the back of her head with a sound like a rifle crack. Stars exploded across her vision. Her hands caught most of her weight as the world slipped into blackness….

_See….told ya' I hated to be hit in the back of the head_


	32. Captive

_It's day two I know because I've been keeping track of the times the guards come in to check on me…I'm assuming one during the morning hours and then one at night…Not that I can tell when is daylight and dark…Just the dark and the feel of the metal bars of my pen pushing against my back. I took a piece of metal from one of the bars and have cut into the flesh of my arm…I hiss quietly to myself when I do it, cutting past the tough layers of my skin, sawing past the scar tissue till I feel my blood make my hands all sticky and tacky like syrup has been poured over them. The metal goes deeper, squeaking into the bone underneath and taking small chunks out of it. Almost as soon as I move the piece of metal off the bone the flesh around it heals. It leaves a dent in my bone that I can feel when I run my fingertips over the skin. I have two marks; I can remember marking my arm yesterday as soon as I woke up. That was really pleasant, pulling myself up off the ground, my head throbbing as if it were going to explode and my eyes wanting to fall out of my head. My vision swam, and I retched._

_So I have two scars in the bone or my forearm, the only thing that bothers me about the way I keep time is the rats…Yeah, the fucking rats they like the smell of my blood…are attracted to it…I guess lately they've been getting about as much to eat as I have. The dark does not bother me as much as the quiet; just the small whoop of air as the handling unit comes on and makes the frozen pin I'm in even colder…It wouldn't be quite as bad if I could just stand up and move… Tried already though and my head smacks into the bars as soon as I try to get up off of my knees…So yeah, dark, rat infested and cold…oh, don't forget frigging cramped…and with out the luxury of my smokes I'm starting to get pretty pissed…feels just like home…._

………………………………………………………………………………………

Day three

_Another day another dollar…maybe for them not for me though…I haven't talked to anyone in three days and the sound of my own voice sounds alien to me… All raspy and full of bass. Reminds me of Riddick's voice a little…I know that if I had stayed on his ship I wouldn't be here right now…but what the fuck?…I've always been one for adventure …and I don't think I could get anymore madcap then this …ha-ha…like that don't you? A little sarcasm…still its cold…and day three without smokes….I guess it wouldn't be so bad with out them if I had something to eat….the hunger and gnawing in my stomach has made the itch for a cigg almost bearable._

……………………………………………………………………………………

Day Four

_So now I have four scars in my collection…Its funny, I'm having trouble telling when I'm asleep and when I'm awake…it all seems to run into one another. Dreams, reality, I can't really tell in the dark with nothing to focus on. All one big dark dream…even my shine job, isn't much use, not when there is nothing to look at…just the bars of the pen. I cant tell you how many times I've counted them…My head still throbs, I can feel the caked blood on the back of my tank and in my hair. It's made it all stiff…some time in the night? Day? I had to brush away a rat that was sniffing at it…they're hungry too…_

Sometime later

_They came in today…people in white lab coats and suits…. Bio-lab jumpers, like something that I have is contagious, like its air borne. They pinned me with a metal collar to the floor of the pin and jammed my hands up behind my back until the cartilage and the muscle groaned with the strain of it…Someone used a knife? Scalpel? And took a big hunk of meat from my back. They sprayed it with some sort of stinging antiseptic. As If I could catch some sort of infection…It bled a little and I jerked when the knife slid in making the cut bigger then they expected. I could have fought…but I was so taken off guard, woken up from my slumber or daydream and pounded to the floor. Really I just want water, the need for that has gotten really bad…even worse than my need for food or a cigg…cold..._

………………………………………………………………………………………

Day Five

_Got food today….not from the fucks that have me in this pen…caught a rat and ate it. I had to stop myself from throwing up the runny, hot, bitter meat…I have a feeling they're planning on letting me rot down here…They will just keep taking little pieces of me and putting me on slides till they can figure out what makes me tick…then kill me…Rozemond was right…that sick fuck. _

………………………………………………………………………………

_Had a dream today….I saw light…I never thought how much I would miss it…even the light that hurts my eyes…I would welcome it with open arms….Riddick was there too…I think I was dead…A premonition?...I don't know…_

……………………………………………………………

_The miserable fucks that run this place took me out today…I suppose they felt bad for me looking at me in the fetal position day after day….My ribs are poking out and I cant talk well…My tongue is swollen in my mouth from dehydration….they had to hold me up…The muscles in my legs have stopped working. its kind of hard to look intimidating on your hands and knees…I tried to stand…to be the badass…and got a Gaph stick to the back of my neck for my troubles….So as I lay there twitching and feeling the warmth of my own piss on my leg I could only think how much water I was wasting by that release…They scooped me back up and pulled me out of my room…into the light…I screamed and screamed and then screamed some more as they shoved two steel hypodermics into the bone of my hips and began siphoning out marrow…I am the Ginny Pig my uncle warned me about…._

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Day?

_I haven't had a chance to mark my arms….They have put me on a steady drip of animal tranks and water…or at least some hydrating solution that they keep jamming into my veins via I.V…..How do I know their animal tranks? Been dosed with em' most my adult life…my body has missed the itch…Like a million little bugs marching down your arms and legs….the only thing is the warmth….yesss…the warmth…I'm finally warm…_

…………………………………………………………………………………

_I'm on a table in a dark room…must of passed out sometime and woke up strapped down….lots of tools in here….sharp. Pointy…seen an autopsy set once like this….Looks a lot the same….sleepy…._

_Dreamed of Riddick again…..He was coming to save me….funny thought aint it?…My bones hurt and I can count all of my ribs….My fingers look like little skeleton sticks….but I could care less…the pump in my arm…makes me forget….It makes me see the doctors….the cutting…I think they skinned my left leg to the bone….laying back my calf muscle with a meaty slap. God there was a lot of blood…all red and clear…and it made such a pretty sound as it pattered off the table on to the floor.….They pushed it back together to see how fast it would heal….They've hobbled me too….or at least have tried to…they have cut my tendons in the back of my heels….ak….akil…I cant remember their name…or my own…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

_Woke today? My femur was broken in three places… I know because there are metal pins holding my leg together and it makes a grating sound every time I move it…I think some one tried to rape me… maybe one of the Guards… There are bruises from my navel all the way down my legs…finger prints….I have scratches down my arms and one of my eyes are swollen shut…all I can taste is the blood in my mouth and the feel of my swollen lips…God I ache…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

_Seen ghosts…lots of em' J….My brother…My mother….My…dad…they float in and out of my consciousness….like smoke…they tell me what a failure I am….that no one has ever given a shit about me…and why am I living?…I have to admit…its hard to argue with them….over heard the docks talking…tomorrow…the autopsy….cut me up into little pieces….funny my flesh is worth more than I am…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Riddick sat quietly in his quarters….his large frame taking up most of the chair he was sitting in…..his shoulders shifted putting his muscles in dark contrast. A knock at the door caused the hulking figure to move at a speed that bellied his size…

"Enter." The voice grumbled.

"Sir…" A small voice squeaked… "Here are the transcripts you required…Merk transmissions…bounties. Triple Max Warrants…Nothing sir..."

"Start going to all the black market companies"…the voice growled lowly…"tell them you are looking for bio-engineering injections ….use the words "the perfect weapon project".."

"The perfect weapon project". The younger man repeated…and turned on his heel to leave the room

Riddick looked up to the domed ceiling above his head….

"Wylie if your alive you bitch…you better stay that way."


	33. Angel

_Life? Love? All of this shit seems unimportant when you're in the bottom of a hole so deep you can't seem to find your way to the top. You can kick ,scream fight, and claw all of the ways you would usually get out, seem useless when your fingers are bloody little nubs of gleaming ivory bone and splintered nail. Peace of mind? Forget about it. In the dark all the things you've done to yourself, to others, come into bright focus and you can't run from them, you can't escape from your own mind. The doubt and insecurity, the ghosts and screams of the people you have ghosted bombard your mind till you scream, till your throat is as bloody and raw as your fingers are…The bitch is that your mind keeps telling you that you did this to yourself._

_I was on a table the fingers and the throat was metaphorical, my muscles hadn't been used in months? Weeks? Couldn't tell you…I'ven so fucked out of my mind for so long that the real and the dream world kind of swirl together…All one big twirling mass running down a drain._

_Told you I wanted to die…I didn't? Well I do. Some way to get out of the shitty existence that I'm trapped in…The dream? Guess you have to sleep to have them…Just tired of fighting and I'm starting to think that it would just be so much easier to just slide into nothingness… Drinking doesn't even kill it anymore…just lay my aching body down and be at peace…there's something funny. Peace do I think I'll ever find it…probably not…some jackass will be fighting me on the other side…_

Riddick looked over the stack of papers as he felt the ship that was carrying him shift

Slightly he glanced up; looking at the large window in front of him. The asteroid field that they were headed through was a large and dangerous one.

_Be lucky if were not ghosted trying to get to her. _

The moon Tropia was on the outer ring of six barren hunks of rock…All of them uninhabitable; all of them filled to brink with sulfuric gasses and scalding temperatures.

_The whole fucking planet smells as bad as it feels._

Tropic was where Riddick was sure they had taken Wylie…Most of the Rasilans that he had encountered and killed along the way had said so. They were the elite of bounty hunters and he did give them that qualification and not the title Merk just because of the profile of the cases that they took…No one touched them for under at least a cool mil in credits. So unlike the bottom feeders that the Merks were the Rasilins were a bit pickier about the bounties that they took. The problem was that Riddick wasn't sure that she was even alive.

Fuck all the mystical bullshit; he wasn't enough of a hopeless romantic or a bullshit artist to tell himself he would know if she were gone. He did worry though; he knew that if all of her genetic information hit the streets that every asshole from here to the Underverse would be running around with healing powers like Wylie's. Not to mention that Wylie was one of the only people he could trust in a fight to cover his back. The emotional bullshit, he didn't want to think of, it would slow him down make him weak, he could use the laws of statistics and averages to whether she was alive or not, if it were him sitting on that much money and genetic info he would of ghosted her right away to stop someone from getting too nosy…Hopefully the assholes that ran the lab didn't think like him. He didn't really want to think of the odds…they weren't looking good…

……………………………………………………………………………………….

"Land it land it now." Riddick grumbled. The ship rocked slowly as its gear came in contact with the rock strewn barren surface of the planet.

He stood slowly stretching his massive arms and turned to the short man standing to his left.

"Have em'all suit up." His voice bellowed through the throne room. The short gentleman at his side bowed at the waist and scurried off to get the detachment of the troops ready.

Riddick walked the length of the room listening to the sound that his large boots made as they reverberated off the steel walls. He sighed inwardly as he reached the end of the hall and grabbed for the O2 mask and gear he would need.

……………………………………………………………………………………

The outside of the building was as he expected. Dim, and camouflaged with a landscape device that caused to chameleon in with its surroundings. Riddick pointed to the other two foot soldiers that were with him. Both ran at the door placing a small whistling explosive on it and moved a few feet back. Riddick pulled out a small hand detonator and depressed the button. There was a small pifft sound as the door was wrenched from its heavy hinges

_Gotta'love fuckin' Necromonger gravity technology._ Riddick thought as he smirked behind his mask.

The detachment of soldiers followed Riddick into the hallway where one of the lights hung drunkly down its cord and flashed on and off feebly. Riddick pushed it to the side and walked around it. His senses scanned the hallway picking up people hiding.

………………………………………………………………….

"Sir." The intern ran into the lab his white coat flapping around his legs. "He's here!" He yelled.

"Who?" the doctor said irritably.

"Riddick." The intern said in a breathless voice. "He busted down the west wing door and it seems he is in the company of two Necromonger soldiers."

The doctor stopped for a minute looking down at his work.

"Bring me steroids and the anti atrophy drugs 36-O42, I need 20cc of adrenaline some thorozine and G62"

"Sir," the intern balked, "are you sure about the G62?"

"Quite." He said lowly.

"She will be uncontrollable after that."

The doctor laughed, "I'm a man of practicality; two birds with one stone. If she can kill him we can collect the bounty on him as well, and no one will know about the experiments done on her, we will walk out of here fore and clear with enough genetic information to make us millionaires. A gamble well worth taking I would say."

………………………………………………………………………..

Riddick rounded the corner moving the field of his vision from left to right. He reached behind him yanking off the strap that held his mask on. Moving his fingers around the strap he slowly hooked it to his belt and let his eyes adjust to the semi-bright light in the corridor. He noticed the rows of beds, hundreds of them.. some with blood stained sheets, some with slowly decomposing corpses on them, some with little more than skeletons on them moaning pitifully. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell of rotting human flesh. The stench was overpowering. The two soldiers that were with him flanked him on both sides and moved quietly guns raised in anticipation. Riddick waved them behind him silently and they jumped to obey his command.

Riddick's ears picked up a tiny noise behind him and whirled quickly to see that one of the Necromonger soldiers slumped foreword the handle of a lethal blade sticking out of the visor of his mask. It had speared his eye and hit his brain he looked as if he were leaking pink shiny tears out of his socket. The other soldiers feet were sticking out of the junction of the hallway they had just passed. They weren't moving; he assumed they belonged to a now dead man.

"Fucker come out.' Riddick bellowed.

A hissing laugh was the only reply. It echoed ominously down the now empty hallway.

Riddick pulled his goggles down over his shorn head and reached for his shiv tucked in the waist of his pants.

"Don't" a throaty voice replied.

Riddick paused as his eyes adjusted to the horror that rounded the corner in front of him

She was standing; although that must have been a fucking miracle of science…wasted away to half her weight, her gown sagged off her once muscular curves. The tank she wore showed all the new staples that marched themselves in t perfect "T" across her shoulders and down into the dip on the front of her shirt. Her lips had a small healing sash across the left side of the top lip and her eyes had horizontal cuts that ran from the corner of each to the tip of her ears. She grinned, a parody of her once beautiful smile causing several of the staples that had been hastily put in to pop out of the flesh. Her legs poked out below the hem of the gown; skeletal sticks with knobby rounds for knees. Staples marched up and down the length of her legs criss-crossing over each other. She moved towards Riddick at a shambling gate; her muscles moving jerkily. She looked like a marionette in the hands of an inexperienced puppeteer

"Don't move Wylie." Riddick said lowly backing up slowly.

This caused her to pause, tilting her head to the side eyeing him like a snake getting ready to strike.

"Bye Riddick." She said calmly before she charged at him using amazing speed that took Riddick's breath away. She lunged, her shiv pointed in front of her she plunged it into Riddick's abdomen and yanked with all her might pulling up.. Her already emaciated muscles quivering with the effort. Riddick grunted and doubled over razing a hand and swinging it at Wylie. It came in contact with her cheek causing her head to swivel on her neck and several staples to fall to the floor. She turned her head to him not even fazed by the strike. Her once gorgeous mirror shined eyes cloudy and violet. Riddick grabbed her shoulders and pushed back on them causing her weight to shift and her to topple over on her spindly legs.

"Don't do this Wylie!" Riddick roared into her face as he grabbed the handle of the shiv poking out of his stomach and wrenched it free throwing it at her feet causing the blood to spatter against the wall

Wylie shook her head and forced herself up off her back and over on to her stomach, her arm muscles shaking with the effort. She boosted herself up to her knees using the wall of the hallway for support and scooped up the shiv with one of her shaking hands her hand closed around the handle with the brittle sound of breaking bone.

"I will she hissed and you will too…finish it"

She rushed at him again and Riddick tensed. He grabbed her greasy lank hair and spun her around growling. Pressing her back against his chest . He could feel her heart pounding to keep her alive through the bones of her chest. She raised the blade and sunk it to the hilt into the large muscle of his leg. He growled again, the animal taking over any semblance of thought that he had. He raised his shiv coming over her right shoulder and plunged it past the hilt into the bones of her ribs splintering them and directly into her heart.

She sagged immediately. Her weight going to her legs as they collapsed underneath her and pulling Riddick down with her. She slumped face first to the dingy floor.

Riddick panicked,

pulled her up by the shoulders gritting his teeth as the metal handle of the shiv grated across the floor. She lay limp across his lap as he cradled her in his arms

"Wylie…you there? You fuckin there kid? Answer me!" He shouted at her. He shook her violently causing her eyes to flutter

"Here." She coughed…the flecks of blood rimming her scarred mouth.

"Don't you fuckin die, you bitch." He said while shaked her.

Wylie grinned beautifully her eyes clear again…

"Thank you Riddick"…she whispered

"No you fuckin don't." He growled

"Yes, I do." She said quietly... "thank you for being my friend."

Her back arched and all her muscles quivered at once as her eyes fluttered shut her breath struggling in her chest making a gurgling sound as a rivulet of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth…

"Peace." she whispered and went still.

Riddick arched his head to the ceiling and howled clutching Wylie's cold lank body to his chest. He stood cradling her and slowly walked down the corridor.


	34. again?

Sorry I left you guys out there for so long…Had some serious stuff to take care of…hope you enjoy.

……………………………………………………………………

_Ever grow up knowing you were gonna' die? Seems funny hunh? Just the idea of a little kid thinking about something like that. And I'm not just talking about being reasonably sure either… no ladies and gentlemen…it was an absolute fuckin' certainty. I was positive…but enough about that…lets get down to brass mother fucking tacks…_

_so I was dead…as if you couldn't tell…and here I am thinking that this was going to be some big improvement on my sorry fucking excuse for an existence…have to say wrong…really, really wrong…its not the whole being dead thing that sucks…no, it's the empty, the dark, the void…I thought I was a cold bitch before I died…not a snowballs chance in hell…tell you what…when you do bite the big one…and all of us will don't expect funny things like being "good" or "bad" to direct you anywhere…you sit there with all the emptiness of your soul just pouring out around you and all the fucking little demons of your past dancing their way through the empty socket where your brain used to hide…_

_the Necro's got it all wrong…there is no happy hunting ground…unless I'm just somewhere they reserve for extra special assholes…the whole god thing really gets to me too…you know god, the devil…maybe that's why whoever…is up there…I would like to refer to him or her as the great masturbating deity…doesn't want any of us cocksuckers to get out of this little pin of self exile we've been placed in…if we did get out it could be bad for business…you know the whole mother fucking religious thingy…millions of adoring fans and what not…kind of like finding out your favorite singer was lip sinking it the whole time…or that John Wayne liked to wear pink dresses …maybe I think too fucking much_

_Hunh…kinda' funny when I look into it…we do create our own hell…wonder how long I've been here…._

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Exactly six hours." Riddick grumbled looking down to Wylie's waxen complexion. He squinted behind the silvered lenses of the goggles. The bright light above the table Wylie's corpse was laid out on was making them tear.

"Sir it was very good of you to place her straight into the cryo…I cant detect any further decay of the soft tissues or bone mass…bacteria is at a minimum…."

"What the fuck does this have to do with anything?" Riddick placed both hands on the side of the surgical steel table and squeezed causing the metal to whine weakly.

"Let's pretend your speaking with someone educated in the penal system." He said lowly. The bass in his voice echoing of the walls of the tiled room.

"Well lord…I had assumed …forgive me, I know it was presumptuous…b-but I had assumed…" The smaller man was wringing his hands behind his back.

Riddick pulled the goggles to the crown of his head and aimed the shining light off the table and towards the corner of the room. He closed his eyes for a second and ran a weary hand across them. His anguish felt almost as grains of salt in his eyes. He squeezed the edge of the table harder this time letting the metal give an audible groan. The man standing beside Riddick gave a noticeable jump back. Finally loosing his patience for the pathetic, simpering little man he saw before him he turned quickly to give the smaller mumbling man the full force of gaze.

"Finish it." He roared into the smaller mans face.

The man whom Riddick's wrath was directed towards turned almost the same color of the corpse on the steel table…

"S-s—s----sir. I-I'm sorry…I had thought that you would of wanted to bring this one back."

"Back..?" Riddick grumbled lowly as he reached over to touch a piece of Wylie's hair in an almost careless gesture

"Yes sir…that's why I thought you put her in the cryo...to bring her back…it obvious that you have feeling for the girl."

"And you would know that because …why?" His voice said lowly, full of sarcasm

"I-um….thought sir…because…um"

"You know nothing….nothing…" He reached over to the smaller man picking him up by the lapels of his coat and made him to meet a quicksilver gaze… "Fucking nothing." Riddick said and shook the man in his hands for emphasis. "I put her in the cryo so she wouldn't bleed like a fucking pig after I ghosted her."

The doctor knew that he could hear traces of anguish in the Lord Marshals voice but, it was not his place to comment….

"So you don't want me to…"

Riddick put the smaller man back down on his feet. He looked over to Wylie's wax-like body lying out on the steel slab.

"Bring her back,"

"But sir I will let you know that the longer the person has been in the more damage that can happen to their psyche…even if the body is in prime physical shape for re- animation..."

Riddick hunkered down to gaze more effectively into the doctors' eyes. He held up three fingers as he said the words slowly for emphasis.

" Bring… her… back"

Riddick turned without another word and began out the doorway.

"Doc" Riddick said lowly looking into the dark corridor…

"Yes lord"

"Two things…"

"Yes lord…"

"One," he growled… "turn off that fucking light, I don't want her shine fried."

"Two," he said with more bass in his voice than usual. " Don't fuck with her when you do get her back…trust me she can be a real bitch."

With that Riddick left the room in the hushed silence of the slightly humming machinery.

……………………………………………………………………………..

_I don't know what the fuck I'm doin' sept' maybe givin' the fuckin' kid a second turn in this fuckin' existence…don't know if it's a fucking blessing or a curse…if I got the chance to maybe save one of em' I will. _

A small voice echoed in Riddick's head...

_So the noble Riddick reaches out on a limb to save his lady love….how noble…_

_Didn't say nothing about fuckin' love _

_I didn't see you going to any such lengths to save me Richard…_

_What the fuck do you want Jack?_

_Bring me back Riddick…give me back the life you took from me….you know you can…you have the power to do it…_

More on the way…..


	35. Act 3

Part 3

Reanimation

_So Riddick? You plan to bring her back do you? Pull her out of the boggy abyss that your followers refer to as "underverse"? But what about me Riddick? Am I to be like Caroline? Forgotten and swept under the rug? Don't tell me that our sacrifices were in vain…_

Riddick growled inwardly the rambling voice of Jack had plagued him for the last hour. No amount of drink could dull out the voice.

_That's right Riddick. _The voice said coolly. _I want you to remember the pain of my sacrifice. I am here in this abyss and for now, so is she. But I wont let you take the easy way out my hero, Oh no….you will relive this pain until YOU BRING ME BACK!_

Riddick cupped both of his hands to the side of his pounding head and paced his now seemingly confined quarters. He wiped at a bead of sweat that snaked its self down behind his ear and landed on the neck of the tank making a faint dark stain.

_Did I die for nothing? Was I nothing to you? _The voice echoed hollowly in Riddick's head.

"Stop it." Riddick growled deeply as he pushed harder on either side of his head trying to dull out the ache.

_Bring me back Riddick. Do it now. For us. Please. Give me another chance. I was always with you. _The voice wept.

Riddick squeezed his eyes shut against the small scared voice in his head remembering the little girl that had wanted to be just like him.

_It's dark here._ The voice whispered shakily. _I'm scared. _

Riddick tilted his head back and howled.

…………………………………………………………………………………

"Sir, Sir …Are you listening?" Riddick's head swiveled towards the small voice of the even smaller man whose head now seemed to be hovering above the collar of this black coat.

"What?" Riddick grumbled.

"Sir, I just wanted you to know exactly what was going to happen." "Even we aren't sure what may happen with one that has been dead for so long. The body can be recreated through all the genetic information that we have but the mind, the mind we cannot fix. We don't even know if the soul that you have had contact with is really hers. What if…

Riddick cut him off with a sharp glance in his direction. "Do it. Do it now." His voice dropped to a low bass growl.

"Y-yes Sir." The smaller man trembled. "S-sir, one more thing." Riddick's silvered glaze turned on the smaller man pinning him where he stood.

"Yes?" Riddick said slowly.

"If-if something goes wrong, if something doesn't work out, you can send them back in 48 hours, after that it becomes much, much harder."

"Why?" he asked one eyebrow arched darkly.

"Sir even we are not sure, we think its because once the soul is brought back into the body it takes a period of time to mesh its self back into the flesh, after that time the flesh does not give up the soul easily and once "stuck" its very difficult to get it "unstuck" its as if the body clings harder to the soul that it once lost. Our last Lord Marshall was an example of that. His soul could almost be two places at once."

Riddick grumbled under his breath lowly. "Do it." He repeated and turned to walk out of the room.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

_Dark…Peace….Like being wrapped in a velvet bag…._

Wylie felt a dull "pop" and a feeling of falling quickly.

_Feels like my fucking tendons are being pulled apart._

She screamed silently her mouth gaping like a fishes with out its watery air.

_What the fuck IS this?? _

She struck out with her fist wanting to come in contact with something, but whatever her fist was searching for eluded her like smoke.

_Pain…I remember this feeling…_

She tossed fitfully, feeling as if she were a cup holding water that was just beginning to trickle over the edge.

_I feel like a skin that has stretched to its limit. Like I'm about to split open like an overripe fruit. _

She screamed again this time pulling a lungful of air as she did it. She jumped at the sound of her own voice cracked and pitted from disuse.

_All right, breathe Wylie…literally_…. she almost cackled to herself._ Either I'm alive again…or this is just another really fucked up part of the "afterlife". I'm voting for dead…and a sadistic god like being…I think that would be preferable to the whole experiment in a little cage scenario that I went through..Im going to be REALLY fucking pissed if I open my eyes and I see anything but black…_

Wylie opened one eye experimentally…..

"I'm pissed." Her voice cracked, echoing off the walls of the room.

_Fine, we've found out that someone is a really sick fuck….give you three guesses who it is….and I would be willing to bet you that god had nothing to do with it….but, maybe he did…I guess I did vote for a sadistic god….note to self jackass, be careful what you wish for_

Her eyes shot around the room angrily…looking for the one person she was sure had to be responsible for her latest visit….

Looking to her left she noticed a body draped with a sheet next to her. Wylie raised a dark eyebrow squinting against the over bright fluorescents. She forced her arms to heave underneath her frame straining to push her body off the bed. The muscles in her arms quivered with the effort. She turned her head to look down, her vertebra popped with a gunfire effect.

_Pretty. _She thought. _Blondish curly hair, nice frame although a little on the thin side…she looks young. I wonder who she is?_

The young woman next to her whimpered quietly.

_Up Wylie…get up…find out where the fuck you are…and why…_Her mind screamed at her…_Why are you alive?? Why are you here? We were better off gone…_Wylie frowned in concentration…_Stop whining. _

She lay prone again lifting the flimsy sheet that covered her with one hand. Wylie glanced down running her other hand down the curves of her body.

_Mental check list. Ribs check.. Hips check, boobs…oh thank fucking god. Their still there._

She moved her hand to the valley in-between her breasts looking for the scars that she was sure had to be there from the Y incision that was cut into her…she found nothing but her skin.

The hairs on Wylie's neck stood on end. She released the sheet letting it float back down to rest quietly across the swell of her breasts. Turning her head slowly her silver gaze met with a green one…

"Who are you?" A small voice cracked.

Wylie raised an eyebrow.. "Wylie." She said slowly. She motioned her chin towards the woman next to her "You?"

"Jack." The small voice said. "Riddick brought me back." She said slowly as if forming the words slowly in her head.

"That makes two of us sister."

"So I hear you're a killer." The voice next to her piped up next to her as if discussing the weather outside.

"Oh, yeah? Wylie said sardonically. "Where'd you here that?"

"From Riddick" She said in a small voice. "I've been talking to him in his head all along."

Wylie raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She thought when and if she saw Riddick again she would have to talk to him about this…invisible friends spirit or not was not a healthy occupation even for a psychopath

Wylie looked into the eyes of Jack and saw the green glaze over as if something slid behind them…

"You know my favorite game is who's the better killer." Jack said lowly. And tried to level what Wylie thought was supposed to be an intimidating glance at her.

Wylie chuckled. "Cute kid. Don't make the mistake of trying to play the game with me. I AM the better killer."

"We'll see." Jack said flatly.

_Great, sometimes it just doesn't pay to be resurrected. _


	36. pup

_So you lookin to get into my soul? Tryin to figure me out? Good luck. Got nothin but a shell. Killin takes a lot out of girl..So I may be a sociopath so what..I may have killed, maimed even terrorized a few. Feel guilty about it? Naah..Just in a days work...Now I've got a pup thinkin shes a better killer than me...funny that...If she only knew..._

_..._

Wiley was grumpy...And grumpy was not good...She sat stunned as she heard the girls final comments...She closed her aching eyes for a moment taking in a deep breath trying to relax.

_Killing her right now won't solve anything chill Wiley...Just a little girl...let her think it...be charitable fro once in your life for christsakes_

So I'm taking it that Riddick knows ya." Wiley said lowly her voice cracking with disuse.

"Yes." She said quietly. "I've been there." she said with quiet confidence as if that answered everything.

"Been there hm? ." Wiley was getting really bored with the conversation. "Been round a lot lately it seems." She rumbled under her breath.

"You know," she said turning to face Wiley. " I was here first...I'm the one he loves, I'm the one he cried for when I passed." She let the statement hang in the air...

Wilie barked out a laugh..."Kid your kidding me right? Riddick love? Wow...what fairy planet do you live on and when is a good time to visit?..."

Wiley's deep laughter was bubbling out of her like a spring...

"Sociopath and killer mean anything to you?" "Were incapable of love...lust yeah...animal magnetism sure...Love? Not a good god damn in hell..."

Wiley coughed and reached to the bedside table for her ciggs...She pulled one out of the battered container and struck a match on the railing of her bed..She inhaled deeply relishing the way the good tobacco soothed her lungs as only Vestuvians could...She coughed a little more...Her silvered eyes turned back to Jack...

"Don t make the mistake of thinking I'm a kid"...Jack spat at Wiley with venom.

Wiley exhaled slowly and paused for a minute...she sized Jack up again looking her over and then chuckled...

"Thinking and believing in things like love among people like us MAKES you a kid..So _sweetheart, _Sit back get well and when your ready to play with the big boys come and give me a call..."

Wiley swung her legs over the side of the bed placing her feet on the cold metal floor...She arched her back feeling the ligaments pop one by one and grunted as he unused joints strained under the pressure of her standing...She glared down at the small frame of the girl in the bed next to her... turning she grabbed her goggles on the stand next to her bed...Wiley slid them to the crown of her nose and smiled broadly at Jack...

"Got nothing against you little girl...but don't fuck with me...I wouldn't want Riddick to cry again..." She said in a condescending voice..

"Fuck you Wiley..." jack spit at her...

Wiley smirked at Jack her cigg jutting out of the corner of her wide lips...She leaned over and jerked Jacks arm over the side of the bed. Wiley gave a long drag n her cigg making the cherry glow crimson..She gripped Jacks arm in her hand squeezing it tight enough to turn the already pasty flesh white...Wiley puffed on the cigg once more exhaling the smoke around her face in a cloud...With a deft movement she tugged the cigg from her lips and buried the still burning ember in Jacks creamy flesh with a wide smile on her face..

Jacks wails filled the small room...Wiley turned on her heel and began to walk out the door...as she opened the door Riddicks massive bulk took up the opening...

Wiley looked up straining her neck muscles to see his mirrored eyes...

"Real winner you picked there Riddick." Wiley drawled..."She MUST be the better killer" Wiley walked around a silent Riddick and down the hallway with Jacks cries making plesent music in her ears.


	37. Dives

_Bars...booze and ciggs...And these are a few of my favorite things...I love a dive...a deep whole you can crawl into and make yourself invisible...the dirtier the better...the dives are always the ones with the best booze...and you cant forget the company either...yeah, somwhere where the smell of ciggs and bodies is ground into the wall...love watchin the locals eye someone down when they walk n...its more than comical..hell its free intertainment ..._

Wylie looked at the rusting digital clock on the stone wall in Brayards Circle. Her eyes shot down the street looking at the Grav bikes, litter and human debris that piled in every corner of the complex. The steam escaping from one of the grates in the road puffed out acid green smoke like the breath of some long decayed dragon. She lifted an eyebrow walking slowly towards the front of the bar that had seen its heyday probably when earth was the only known inhabitable planet in the star system. Sagging florescent lights flickered feebly in a splintered pattern. She paused, her eyes looking at the patrons perched on the cracking sidewalk in front. Men mostly, some well worn females trying to ply there wares on the first sucker who wanted a fast fuck and an even faster shivving.

"Eh, eh!" a rough voice came from Wiley's left side.

Wylie's head turned slowly looking for the source of the melodic timber.

"Yeah. Help you?" she said coolly.

The smaller man stumbled but quickly regained his composure.

"Ain't seen you round here before. Looking for a good time?"

"Oh yeah. " Wiley said lowly "A real good time."

...

It had been almost twenty four hours since Wiley had gotten off that heap of floating space shit they called a Necromonger ship .Riddick could have his king-whatever Lord Marshal bullshit. It all sounded a little too corporate for her. And where the fuck did he get off bringing her back to life? Jack fine..he could spend as much time as he liked with his little "fallen angel" She was done. Really. Done. If Riddick found it necessary to get all soft and emotional it was just fine with her..Not that she thought there was a snowballs chance in hell that was what was really going on. HA. No really, Riddick would fuck her good and turn her out just like all the rest. The look on that little girls face. She had almost stuck around to watch her crumble. The lack of anything good to drink and the constant surrounding of dead and half dead bodies kinda gave her the creeps. Not that dead was creepy..just the up and talking to you dead person thing was...but who was she to throw stones...she was one of em..

The bar smelled like ass. And not the sweet type either. People were clustered around drunkenly leaning tables. Shouts, catcalls and the underlying tinny tune of some long extinct type of disk player added to the overall ambiance of what Wiley liked to call a dive. She walked to the bar and plunked down the credit chip she lifted off the inebriated biker she had met out front. She hoped it had enough on it to at least procure a bottle and if luck were going her way a pack of ciggs. She was dying for a smoke.

A lean bone thin bar maid ambled over to her.

"Watcha want?"

"Vestuvian black label. Pack of smokes."

The barmaids grubby hand shot out picking up the chip with amazing speed.

"Be right back"

Wylie leaned farther over on the grimy bar and looked down its length. A flickering neon pointed garishly to the bathrooms and the other side had what looked to be a dice game going on.

_Ahhh..looks like my night is looking up. Fun. _

The barmaid dropped the bottle and the pack of smokes down on the bar with a dull thunk she turned without saying anything further. Wylie grabbed the bottle and the smokes and moved around the bar sitting on the side that gave her a good angle of the door and within earshot of the dice game that was going on. By the sound of the participants voices they were well into having a very fine hangover the next morning. She was just waiting for the opportunity for one of them to get up to either puke or take a piss tho join the game Barring that there was always the happy chance that the game would end early and she could quietly follow the winner outside to relieve him of his monetary burden.

Wiley propped her booted feet on the bar leaned the chair back and slowly twisted the cork out of the bottle letting the perfume spill into her nose...

"Ah, hey lover." She said quietly to the bottle

"Hey yourself." came a smooth voice beside her ear.

Wylie instinctively reached her hand into the waistband of the pants she was wearing to pull out a four inch long Shiv. She quietly laid it on the bar next to her pack of smokes.

"Not the girl your looking for." She said quietly not taking her eyes off the bottle in front of he.

"Hey." the voice said next to her. "Not looking for trouble, Just a good time."

"Think what your looking for is over there." Wylie pointed to a group of whores leaning up against the opposite wall.

"Whats it take to get a drink from ya?" The voice inquired.

Wylie chuckled. "When you pry it out of my cold dead hands. Been dead once today so your odds are not looking so good."

"Not looking to kill ya Wylie, just a drink."

Wylie pulled the goggles to the top of her head. She moved her head slowly trying to find out which asshole was trying to ruin her perfectly good mood.

"Know you?" Wylie asked in a grumbling voice.

"You might." said the sandy haired stranger. "looking for someone by the name of Jack. Seen her around."

"Not in the mood for snitchin." "Leme guess Merk right?"

Wylie stared off into space waiting for a reply.

"You could say that. But I'm not here on official business, more of a personal interest."

"Don t you know," Wylie spat out," Money is official business to a Merk, and all the Merks I've known take money kinda personally. Now the only reason you would crawl out of your fucking hole would be money and I'm guessing you damn sure wouldn't try to track my ass down to play twenty fucking questions with me is it didn't involve money. So say watcha gotta say or get the fuck away from me. My bottles open and I'd rather spend time with her. The conversation and the company is so much better."

"They said you were a bitch but goddamn. You always this bad. Or is it just an act?" The Merks hand slid towards Wylie's shiv

Wylie still looked across the bar her expression never changing.

"Move your hand one more inch and we will find out just how much of an act this is."

The Merk pulled up a chair next to Wylie.

"I think we could both benefit from some sharing of information." He leaned in closer. "I know about your time on Tropia, know what they did to you, know where they are and who's selling your genetic information. Soon you wont be such a bad ass there will be hundreds if not thousands just like you. You will be a relic an unknown face in a crowd of people exactly like you."

"Always did like to be part of a group. Maybe I could start my own club, you know memberships, meetings all that bullshit. We could meet every Sunday have cookies, read books and shit like that."

"Ah now Wylie, come on, we both know that your career as a criminal would be over if everyone had your power. Thats gotta mean something to ya."

Wylie grinned and slid the bottle down the bar to the Merk.

"Watcha got little man?"


	38. smitten

_A wise man once told me that you never do a favor for someone and expect something in return. That being said I still don't see why I even give a shit about anyone. I know right. Seems to me now a days you just cant trust anyone anymore. Not that I trusted anyone to begin with. What ever happened to a word being your bond and all that happy horse shit? Guess the universe is an inherent fucked up place with us little peons doing the best we can to scrape along. Hmmm, you really think god...in his majestic allmightynes thinks about us down here..what with all his rules "don't kill...don't steal, don't lie...ha. If he was really looking at us keeping track on his universal score card don't you think he would stop people like me? Or maybe I'm just doing gods work...getting rid of the weak...naaah that smacks of elitism and I'm not that big on it. Besides I'm to busy being me to play anything for god. _

_Jack, Jack,Jack...I know, i know the info I gave the Merk was wrong of course it was, why snitch on someone who thinks shes obviously such a good bad ass. Maybe she is and maybe she will replace me some day. RIIIIGGGHHT..the same way I'm settling down to get married and pop out puppies. But then again, I'm always looking for someone to give it to me...and not in that way, maybe she will beat me, so ill keep her round see what the little bitch has to offer. _

Wyile grinned with that thought. It had been quite a while since she had come up against someone who could actually give her a run for her money. Her reasons for not giving up Jack were her own and didn't make complete sense to her but then what in her life did.

The Merk that met up with her in that dive the other night wanted info and he wanted it bad. Seems Jackie had been quite the enterprising little trollop before she got herself locked up in slam. If what the Merk said was true, she was more than willing to help her crew hunt down Riddick for the credits. What finally locked her up was simple stupidity. Too young, dumb, and full of cum to let her brain instead of her pussy make the decisions for her. Merks when you got down to it, were all alike, money first everything else second. Thats where she made her mistake. You don't steal a crews haul and think that just because you laid the captains dick right that he's gonna forget all about a cool mil in credits...um no. The question was who was she willing to sail down the river if the Merks came knocking on her door?...All of Wylie's instincts told her that Riddick would be the on taking the rap for the tab that Jackie rang up.

"Just hang out for a while see how things go." Wylie grumbled to herself.

...

Crouching down behind the wall of the docking bay of Ferki 8 was not her idea of a wild Saturday night. Neither was waiting for the bastard space jump crew to finish fueling. But sometimes patience was a virtue and it was one Wylie was running really low on.

"Shit." she muttered to herself as she glanced up and over the retaining wall of the bay. It had been over an hour and all the crew were still milling around talking shop. She needed one of the ships to get off the rock she was presently on to go to do recon. The Merk...what was his name? Johns? Yeah that was it, said that the lab was two moons over no need to steal a cargo carrier just a star jumper.

_Besides stealing that hulk would attract way too much attrition. And when your doing recon no need to get noticed. _

"Enjoying sitting behind that wall?"

Wylie looked up. "Yeah as a matter of fact. Gives you a new perspective on life. You know I was meditating."

"Well if your looking to jack a jumper don't, this place is lousy with Merks."

"You being one of the masses I take it?" Wylie said sardonically.

"Look, just trying to help out."

"Johns get the fuck on!" Wylie spat out. "You and I don't help each other out. You and I don't even talk. Remember bad guy, badder guy?" "If you think I'm falling for the here, let me give you a hand pal routine forget it. Too many run ins with Merks too much of a really fucking bad taste in my mouth. So if your looking to mentor someone there's an orphanage down the street, I'm sure there looking for volunteers."

Johns chuckled.

Wylie stood blowing the scraps of her ruse.

"Well, now that you have fucked my chances of getting off this rock without having to kill anyone, move."

Wylie went to push around Johns.

"Wylie hold up!" he said loudly. "I can get you a ship."

Wylie wrenched the glasses off her eyes to give him the full force of her silvered stare. She stalked over to him letting the violence reverberate in her small frame.

"You have GOT to be either really fucking stupid or really fucking brave," she said poking him in the chest with one of her fingers. "Either one will get you killed just as quickly."She hissed between clenched teeth. In her frustration she snatched her battered pack of Vestuvians and her tarnished silver lighter out of her pocket and lit one drawing in deeply. The cherry's glow turned her mercury eyes pink.

"How old are you now Johns?" she eyed him appraisingly.

"Twenty three. Why?"

"Wanna see twenty four?"

Johns stared at her blankly.

"Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone. I'm not going to tell you again. Your lucky... I really don't know why I haven't ghosted you myself yet for following me around like a little fucking puppy."

Wylie turned on her heel and started to walk away, she heard the sound of feet running behind her. She stopped abruptly feeling Johns weight smack into the back of her.

Wylie sighed hanging her head between her shoulders.

"Are you afraid I'll turn you in?" The question came out in a whisper.

"Wha?" Wylie turned to look at Johns."Fuck." She said lowly when she saw his expression.


	39. Jack

To all the people who are still reading this fic and who have stood by me even though I left you all hanging thanks...much love hugs and kisses all that good crap. If you're interested in seeing Wylie art I have a picture posted on my my space page, you can find me by typing in the url shivs666. The page is a bit crude for now cause I need to update it but you can check out Wylie in all her penciled glory there...shes under my photos. Now..back to the story.

...

_a chance encounter can always be uncomfortable dontcha think? Yeah me too. So now I got a Merk who's taken a shine to me and well, I dont like it no sir not one bit. Fan clubs are for singers and movie stars not for sociopaths. At least I've always seen it that way. _

Riddick was getting tired of hearing Jacks constant mewling. He felt guilty in a small way for her death. Somehow thinking of Jack had brought up thoughts of Caroline...His once perfect piece of ass. But it wasn't for him. Fate had a way of looking out for you. The if and why weren't important the end result the same he was seeing it manifest in Jack and the fates were telling him that he should of left well enough alone.

"Riddick." A small voice quipped next to his large frame in the bed.

Riddick grunted his reply staring blankly at the metal ceiling of the Lord Marshals quarters. He felt the sheet bunch to the side of him. Jack put a tentative arm around his waist.

"Why do you shut down on me?" She asked quietly

Riddick made no reply moving his muscled arms behind him to cradle his head.

"I knew it would be like this." She said lowly letting the statement hang in the air.

"What jack." His voice rumbled.

She sighed, "You and I we're just alike. You brought me back because you were looking for a companion, someone who could understand you."

Riddick moved his eyes to his right taking in the sight of the tiny frame and tussled hair of the woman next to him.

"We are not alike." The words were like water dropped into a well, echoing dully in the room.

Jack pushed the sheets away from her and sat up quickly.

"Then why bring me back?" She hissed glaring at Riddick. "You brought me back because you loved me. Tell me now Riddick! She said in a steadily rising voice.

Riddick's laugh barked through the room.

"I brought you back because you didn't have a chance Jack. " The words were said dully and without emotion.

"A chance at what Riddick?" Jack shouted.

Riddick looked over at Jack letting his silvered eyes go cold. He reached out with the striking speed of a snake, pinning her jaw in between his fingers in a vice like grip. Jacks hands scrabbled at Riddicks fingers trying to loosen his grip. He moved his face closer to hers almost touching noses.

"Life." He said menacingly. Riddick pushed Jack releasing his hand so she flopped over in the bed. He stood looming over her like a statue. Jack glared at him balefully.

Riddick turned without a word and began pulling up his cargo's.

"W-where are you going.?"

"Out." Riddick grumbled pulling his black tank over his muscled shoulders and sliding it over his washboard stomach.

"This is about _her_, isn't it Riddick?" Jack barked sitting in the bed with the sheets now clutched around her chest.

Riddicks silence filled the room, the only sound was the clomping of his boots as he stepped into them.

"Wait you'll see! I am just like you! I AM the better killer Riddick! You _WILL_ be mine!."...

Her next shouts were cut off by the steel door closing on Jack with a hiss.

...

_Another day another dive. Still didn't trust Johns worth a shit. But I couldn't get out from under him without killin him either. Just didn't see the reason to do it just yet. But somethins gotta give. Gotta get off this rock, gotta see the little me's that might be running all over the star system._

Wylie took a swig off her bottle and blew out a lung full of smoke. Her booted feet propped up on the metal bar of the canteen she was in. She shook the bottle looking at the amber liquid that was fast disappearing. Reaching into her pocket she produced another chip and tossed it on the bar haphazardly waiting for the bartender. She moved her eyes around the room seeing Johns playing on an antique pool table with two Wisp's and a Guntham..

_If they only knew what he was. Five to one odds he wouldn't make it to the door._

Wylie chuckled inwardly.

The heavy glass door of the canteen slid open soundlessly letting in streaming light that made her squint her eyes. She held up a hand to block it. As fast as it opened it shut, cutting off the heat, light, and sounds of the street outside. Wylie shook her head trying to clear her vision.

Foggy at first it cleared by steps letting he see the bulky, muscled form that was unmistakably Riddicks..

"Shit." she groaned... "shit, shit, shit"


	40. lights out

_Ah yes, the smell of oh fuck...I'm sure its a smell that you are fa miler with. It's that smell that you get when your trapped in an uncomfortable spot and your adrenaline spikes. Sweaty palms clammy fingers, the whole nine. Yeah so here I am sitting here smelling like oh fuck...and well, not feeling really good about it...Riddick is so not gonna be happy...think happy thoughts happy thoughts...awww...fuck it._

Wylie was busy arguing with herself as Riddick walked over it looked as though she was in deep conversation with her bottle.

_Bitch has finally gone and lost her mind._

"What Riddick?." Wylie snapped as she felt the air from the handling unit cut off by Riddicks bulk standing behind her. "I swear to frigging Christ, what the fuck did I do now...Not happy with your new kitten you adopted?"

"There a problem over here?" Wylie closed her eyes and plunked her forehead down on the bar..she looked out of the corner of her eye to spy on the scene going on .Riddick had turned , a slight look of amusement on his face that was now being taken over by blind rage.

"Not now Johns...not now." The last words were said in a whisper as her hand slid out to grasp Riddicks forearm she new he already had his hand on his shiv and was aching to stick it in him.

"This asshole bothering you Wylie?"

Riddick remained quiet and quiet was very very bad...

"I said not now Johns!!" The last was barked out loud enough to turn the whole bars focus to the scene with the three people.

"Great fucking great." Wylie stood grabbing her bottle by the neck

Riddick looked Wylie up and down.

"Never thought you'd be fucking mercs kid." Riddick said looking straight ahead

Wylie glared up at Riddick. "Not that its any to you're fucking business but no..not enough vestuvian in the world Riddick"

"So then wanna tell me why you haven't ghosted em yet?"

Johns wisely stood silent.

Riddick took Wylies silence as an answer.

"Johns hm? Once knew a johns, merc just like you. Got him self ghosted over a thirteen year old girl. Sound fa miler?"

"Yeah asshole my father." Johns looked like a scrawny teenager .

Riddick raised an eyebrow and turned to Wylie. "Your bodyguard as well as your fuck.? "nice." He hissed between clenched teeth.

"Does this ride have a destanation Riddick? Or are you just down here for a social call. You know, the ladies of the night over there look pretty lonely." Wylie pointed to the cluster of bone thin whores that were all waving at Riddick and eying him.

Riddick grabbed Wylies arm and looked at her. "Don t fight me on this Wylie"

"Fuck you Riddick!" Wylie spat standing her ground and bracing for a fight. "You think your gonna come down here and look at me say a few things and I'm gonna follow you? I'm not a whore or some bitch that you can come claim whenever you got an itch to stick your dick into something."

Riddick moved to say something to her tightening the grip on her arm.

A blast of plasma fire skittered off the bar taking a huge chunk out of the concrete wall behind them Riddick swiped the feet out from under Wylie causing both of them to fall into a tangled heap on the floor.

Wylie untangled herself quickly crab walking to the edge of the par and peered around it. Johns stood in the middle of the canteen plasma gun in his hands with three other mercs standing at the door.

"Johns!" Wylie yelled out from the back side of the bar.

"Yeah Wylie?"

"Should of ghosted you when I had the chance!" She yelled.

"Told ya Wylie Not here for you. Hand over Riddick and you walk away.."

"Told me you were after jack!"

"Riddicks worth more. Hand em over. Come work for me. I'll get the bounty off your head."

"Johns, you've lost your fucking mind. You and all your cronies. Let me walk and you live its that simple."

Johns laughter answered her.

She turned back to Riddick who was crouched next to a group of wires beside the bar. He pulled his goggles to the top of his head reached around his back and produced a shiv and then winked.

The lights went out.


	41. blackout

_Black a color that matches with my soul._

The lights went out pitching the bar into total oblivion. Wylie pulled her glasses to the top of her head and blinked once rubbing the meat of her hands against her eyes. The shouts from the other side of the bar was almost deafening. She glanced over to see Riddick in a crouched position with his muscular arms hung easily between his thighs. Wylie grinned out of the corner of her wide mouth and moved her shiv aimlessly between her hands.

Riddick looked over putting a finger to his wide lips. He crouched, crab walking around the other side of the bar and dissipated into the gloom.

A stray plasma burst blanked out the room for a moment searing Wylie's vision

"Damn it Johns! Be careful you almost took off my frigging foot."

"Shit, shit, shit." someone Wylie didn't know squealed. "Their in here with us. They can see in the dark."

"Can it Jordan." another voice piped in.

"Jordan," the voice announced. "Go over to the back door and kick it open. We need some fucking light in here."

"K boss."

Wylie looked around her corner of the bar to see Jordan stumbling to the back of the bar with his hands out in front of him feeling along the far wall..

Wylie stood, moving silently she crossed the narrow gap of the room in a few strides. She reached Jordan and calmly grasped the top of his head arching the line of his neck in a graceful curve backwards against her shoulder. Before he could whimper Wylie had slid the razored edge of the shiv against the tinder flesh of the throat. She felt the scalding gush of his blood coat the handle of her shiv and worm its way down both of her arms. Grunting quietly she arched her back trying to hold the bulk of the Mercs body up to stop it from crashing to the floor.

Another plasma burst seared her vision.

_Fucking muscle spasm_

Wylie released Jordan's body letting it fall to the floor unceremoniously, the smoking plasma gun still glowing dully in the blackness

"Fucking cunt." A voice yelled in the darkness. Wylie had enough time to make a dive behind Jordan's now cooling body as a bevy of plasma shot lit up the bar again.

"She got Jordan!" A confused voice shouted.

Wylie peeked her head above Jordan's shoulder to see the remaining Mercs in a crouched position moving their plasmas blindly left to right.

_Good time to get my ass ghosted. They all got itchy trigger fingers._

Wylie grabbed Jordan under the arms and slowly dragged him behind her stretch of the bar.

_Time for a little entertainment._

Wylie sat Jordan's limp body up pushing her weight against it to keep it upright. She slowly grabbed it by the elbow and raised the hand above the eye level of the bar. She slapped the bar furiously with the palm of the dead mans hand hoping to mimic the sound of someone in distress

"Jordan, Jordan!" One of the men called for his partner.

Wylie smirked slapping the bar in response. She peeked around the side of the bar careful to squint her eyes.

"Boss, Jordan's over there! We gotta go help em!"

Plasma bursts lit up the gloom in their desperate attempt to get some kind of light.

"Don't move!" Johns yelled out. "If she got to him hes already dead."

Again Wylie slapped the bar, more feebly this time.

Another plasma burst skittered over the top of the bar cleanly detaching the dead mans hand causing it to fall on the floor with a wet splat.

"See? Hear anything?" Johns bellowed the sound echoing. "Hear Jordan yelling? No you don't, cause hes fucking dead! Now don't fucking move!"

Wylie looked over and picked up the dead limp hand.

_You'll come in handy...handy heheh...where the fuck is Riddick at?_

She could hear the rest of the Mercs milling around trying to cover each others backs.

Wylie stood, grasping the hand and then picking up the plasma gun. She took a deep breath and ran towards the group of Mercs. Looking at them she tossed the severed hand at the largest one that she figured was the ringleader.

"Here, catch!" Wylie said as she saw the Merc instinctively reach out in the gloom to grasp the now icy digits of his fallen partner.

"Fuck, fuck!" He screamed as he realized what he was now holding.

"Yeah," Wylie said, "fuck is about it."

Wylie aimed the plasma and fired into the group punching a hole through the abdomen of one and taking the bottom part of the mandible off another of the Mercs hearing teeth skitter across the barroom floor

Wylie grimaced and dropped the gun to her side her fingers scorched by the heat of the barrel. She looked at the scene in front of her. One of the Mercs was now spasming on the floor his hands clutched over the smoking void that used to be his stomach. The other was now wailing pitifully, his hands scabbering at the bloody stump of his lower jaw.

Wylie wrinkled her nose at the smell of burning flesh and stepped over the body of the Merc who was gut shot and still twitching. She took her eye off the second Merc to see Riddick dispatching the third with a clean puncture through the sweet spot. Walking over slowly to the Merc who was now kneeling Wylie squatted down next to him and pushed his hair behind his ear.

"Go to sleep little one." She whispered quietly into his ear. Slowly she picked up the plasma and pressed it to his temple and pulled the trigger watching his head dissolve into a spray of bone fragments and thicker things.

_Where the fuck is Johns at?_

"Riddick? You all right?" Wylie asked cocking her head towards him

Riddick didn't answer his big bulk moving through the bodies pushing some of them aside with the toe of his boot.

"Riddick?"

Without turning he waved his hand at her telling her silently to come near him.

Wylie stood wiping the gore on the legs of her pants and feeling the fresh liquid warm them. She walked over quietly and stood next to Riddicks bulk.

"Johns!" Riddicks voice rumbled. Come out.


End file.
